Dark Passions
by Azure Moonfox
Summary: Imagine how different things would have been if Sasuke was a girl, and Naruto received special training at a young age.  Watch as the two most powerful genin become rivals and lovers as they strive for power, glory, and revenge. Dark SasuNaru fic.
1. Chapter 1

_**Dark Passions **_

Stuff worth mentioning…Naruto and Sasuke will both be super powerful in this fic. They might be slightly out of character, but whatever. Also, Sasuke's name will remain the same because I don't feel like changing it. The story starts near the end of the academy years.

Anyways, here's the first chapter.

**Chapter 1: Becoming a Genin**

Naruto wasn't your average academy student. Unlike the others in his class, he was very outspoken and some would even say annoying. Most people considered him the laughing stock of the academy due to his poor test scores and his erratic behavior.

Although there was much more to him than meets the eye. Naruto was not the person that everybody saw on the outside. He was a lonely, angry, and envious person deep down. He hid his true feelings with an optimistic mask of hope and pride, but the boy knew that one day everybody would see his pain.

He had an infamous nickname in the academy as the dead last. Most people considered him a weak loser due to his performance but even that was a lie. Naruto was a lot more intelligent than people gave him credit for.

He followed the valuable advice of a certain man named Jiraiya. The famous Sannin had taken an interest in the boy in recent years and secretly trained him to become stronger. Naruto thought back to the day he met Jiraiya…

_**(Flashback)**_

_Naruto was sitting on the heads of the Hokage statues overlooking the village with a sad look on his face. The boy was upset from his day at the academy and appeared on the verge of tears as he cursed to himself._

_Much to his surprise, a tall white haired man approached him from behind and drew the boy from his tantrum, "Hey kid, what are you doing cussing up here all by yourself?"_

_Naruto looked up at the man as he sat down next to him. He stubbornly remained quiet and shrugged as he continued glaring at the village below him. Jiraiya examined his attitude and sighed, "Listen kid…I don't know what you're going through, but sitting around and moping isn't going to solve your problems."_

_He looked up at the white haired man and finally spoke up, "Yeah well…what the hell am I supposed to do? I am the laughing stock of the academy and everybody thinks I am weak."_

_Jiraiya had a deep thought etched across his face as he studied the boy. He sighed deeply, "Listen kid…if you want to be the best then you have to work hard. I didn't get to where I am today by wishing for change."_

_Naruto nodded his head sadly at the man, "You are right I guess. But I don't even know how to change…"_

_Jiraiya put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and smiled at him proudly, "Even the Hokages had to start at the bottom kid…how's about you and I make a deal kid?"_

_Naruto looked up at him curiously, "A deal? What kind of deal?" _

"_I'll agree to train you so long as you agree to not tell anybody about it or use any of the jutsus I teach you in the academy."_

_Naruto looked at him incredulously, "Why can't I use them in the academy?" _

_Jiraiya chuckled at the blonde and answered, "If they see you doing these jutsus in the academy, you'll be going to ROOT or Anbu immediately. Trust me kid, it's not as fun as it sounds."_

"_What do you get out of helping me?" Naruto asked skeptically. The toad sannin beamed proudly at the boy and answered, "I'm just trying to help you kid…plus I've got this feeling about you."_

_There was a long silence before Naruto burst into a wide grin looking at the man, "All right, I'll do it…"_

"_Jiraiya is my name…I am one of three sannin," The toad sage said proudly. Naruto looked at him awestruck, "That's awesome! Nobody is going to believe I met somebody like you!"_

"_Woah woah don't get ahead of yourself…your training with me is going to be strictly between you and me. We don't know each other got it?"_

_Naruto looked confused for a moment but finally nodded his head, "I understand Jiraiya-sensei."_

_**(End Flashback)**_

True to his word, Naruto remained silent about everything Jiraiya told him. He purposely didn't do things right most of the time to underplay his abilities and hide his powers. Naruto had become truly skilled training with Jiraiya in secret.

The sannin taught Naruto all sorts of interesting abilities over the past four years. Some of the most notable were shadow clones, and a variety of wind and water jutsus. Although the greatest thing Naruto learned from Jiraiya was something he only recently perfected…the Rasengan.

This was Naruto's ultimate ace, and he had no intention of unveiling it until absolutely necessary. Overall, the past four years with Jiraiya had been very enlightening for the boy. The toad sage was almost like an uncle or a father to him, and had truly helped Naruto become better.

There were complications training in secret, but the two found a way to keep Naruto's training in the dark. Nobody else ever found out except for the Hokage and his son Asuma. Naruto was very surprised when the Hokage's son volunteered to train him as well.

Asuma was one of the few people in the village that were adept in wind chakra, so he was a naturally good choice for Naruto who also had an affinity for it. The jounin had taken quite a liking to the boy and was very helpful in teaching him.

He taught Naruto how to enhance his weapons with wind chakra as well as all of the other things he could do with it. Asuma also taught the blonde a good amount of taijutsu. Naruto had been training with Asuma for over a year, and was "quite skilled" as the jounin put it. He hoped that he would be put on Asuma's squad when he became a genin.

"Naruto! What is the answer to the question on the board!" Iruka shouted at the boy drawing him from his daydream. He stared blankly at the board reading the question to himself, '_What is the name of the first Hokage? Hashirama Senju…duh._'

Naruto shrugged at the chunin and laughed, "Umm I don't know."

A chorus of laughter followed his question as half the class gave him condescending looks. Naruto hated to admit it, but he rather enjoyed the attention even if it was negative.

He didn't like making himself look stupid, but once he graduated from academy and became a genin, then he would be free to stop downplaying his intelligence and skills.

"God Naruto you're such an idiot!" A certain pink haired girl yelled. The girl's name was Sakura Haruno, and Naruto would be lying if he said he didn't have a crush on her. She was smarter than everybody in the class…well almost everybody.

There was one girl in the class that made everybody in there look bad…her name was Sasuke Uchiha. The girl was a childhood prodigy part of the famous Uchiha Clan, and she was the top student in the class.

Naruto didn't know why, but he had deep resentment towards the girl due to how easily everything came for her. Sasuke was usually very quiet, but when she did talk, Naruto hated it. She was the most conceited and condescending person on the planet in his opinion.

Naruto didn't realize he was staring at the girl and caused Sasuke to look at him confused, "Is there something you need dobe?"

Everybody laughed again at Sasuke's comment and Naruto huffed in annoyance, "No! Turn around Uchiha!"

Sasuke smirked at the boy as she stared at him, "Maybe you should go back to learn the basics with the first year students…"

"Screw you…stop acting like you are better than everybody!" Naruto responded. Sasuke turned away and began to ignore him. The two were notoriously known for their intense hatred for each other. It seemed the only time Sasuke ever talked was to insult Naruto.

Naruto didn't know what the girl had against him. Sure he was annoying and dead last, but the girl always seemed intent on pissing him off. He would occasionally catch the Uchiha staring at him when he wasn't looking and could never guess why.

Sasuke ignored everybody except for him. That's saying something too, because she was quite the eye catcher. Although he hated to admit it, Naruto thought the Uchiha girl was cute.

Sasuke was quite a sight to see. She had on a blue shirt with white sleeves that came halfway down her stomach revealing a toned milky smooth core.

She wore a short white skirt with a traditional ninja pouch strapped to her waist. Sasuke also had white armlets and leggings as well as the traditional ninja sandals. Naruto found himself staring at her again. The Uchiha took notice of this and looked over causing his attention to snap back to Iruka.

"All right class, I have good news for you. Your graduation is a week away! There will a final exam that you must be able to pass," Iruka exclaimed to the class of students in front of him. They all looked excited and some were slightly worried looking about the mention. A loud chorus of comments followed the statement.

Iruka studied their reactions and continued, "I know some of you may be nervous, so I'll explain what you need to know for this exam. It will be a three part exam; first you will need to pass the written test, second you must be able to perform a transformation jutsu, and finally, you will be required to create a clone."

"Ha! Is that it?" Kiba laughed while exchanging looks with the class. The Chunin nodded his head at Kiba and responded, "Yes, I am sure most of you will not have a problem with it, but we're going to spend this week reviewing for the written exam."

Everybody grumbled and groaned in annoyance at the mention of that. Well everybody except for Sasuke. The rest of the class period was relatively boring and Naruto normally found himself dozing off daydreaming about training or going on a date with Sakura.

Finally, the bell rang and the class was beginning to take its leave. As Naruto exited the room, he ran up behind a certain pink haired girl and asked, "Hey Sakura-chan what's up?"

The girl looked at him annoyed and shook her head, "What do you want Naruto?"

The blonde flashed a foxy grin at her and answered, "Well…I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me sometime?"

"In your dreams pal…I don't date losers!" Sakura yelled at him as she slapped him in the face. She began walking away leaving Naruto standing alone in the hallway. He shook his head and sighed to himself, "Rejected again…one of these days she'll say yes."

"You're wasting your time trying to date her," a familiar cynical voice sounded. Naruto turned around and saw the infamous Sasuke looking at him with crossed arms. There was a long silence as the two intently stared at each other.

"Mind your own business, Uchiha!" Naruto stated irritated as Sasuke smirked at him. She raised a brow at him and laughed, "I can't believe you made it this far in the academy…do you honestly think you are going to pass the exam and become a genin?"

Naruto nodded his head at the girl, "I'm going to become the strongest ninja this village has ever seen!"

"How can one become strong without a purpose? What is your purpose dobe?" The Uchiha asked amused. Naruto glared at the girl darkly and answered, "My purpose is to earn everybody's respect and to become Hokage."

Sasuke shook her head at the boy, "That's why you're weak…you lack true purpose. Do yourself a favor and just give up now before you make a bigger fool out of yourself."

Naruto turned around and began to walk away, "I am done talking to you!"

As the jinchuuriki walked away, Sasuke inwardly cursed herself, '_Damn it…why do I always insult him? I ruined another chance to talk to him_.'

Sasuke would never admit it aloud, but she had a strange interest in the blonde. She hated herself for falling prey to the norms that most of the pathetic schoolgirls in the academy lived by. Sasuke had no interest in boys, her only interest was to become strong.

However, for some reason she found herself strangely captivated by the blonde "loser" in her class. She saw a different part of him that nobody else did. Sasuke could see that there was a lot more to him than everyone thought.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto wandered off deep into the woods where he normally did his training in secret. Jiraiya had recently left the village and wished the boy the best of luck leaving him to train by himself. Normally at a time like this, Naruto would go find Asuma, but the jounin was increasingly busy due to the fact that he would soon be assigned a genin team.

Naruto created several dozen shadow clones and stood across from them as he drew two kunai. Wind chakra began to from around the two blades as he stared down his clones. They all began to charge the blonde with raised weapons. The boy dispatched his clones in waves as he cleaved through them with his kunai.

Unbeknownst to him, a certain Hyuuga girl had taken an interest in watching him train. Hinata had an obvious crush on Naruto and would often spend her recreational time watching him. She was careful to avoid doing so when Asuma or Jiraiya were present. She watched awestruck as the glowing chakra around Naruto's kunai extended out of the blades creating two large chakra swords.

As Naruto swung the weapons, the chakra flew off of his kunai and sliced through all of the remaining clones as well as many nearby trees. A voice sounded from behind the girl catching her completely off guard, "Quite a sight to see, eh?"

Hinata turned around horrified to see Asuma standing on a branch next to her. She blushed with embarrassment as she looked down in shame. The jounin quietly chuckled as he put a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay Hyuuga…why don't you go home and I'll pretend I don't know you are stalking Naruto."

The white eyed girl turned crimson with embarrassment and immediately left. Naruto turned his head towards the sound of the commotion to see Asuma landing in front of him. The jounin smiled proudly at the kid as he approached him.

"Asuma-sensei? I thought you were busy with the genin teams and all that paperwork?" Naruto said confused. The jounin shrugged at his confusion, "Eh, I blew it off…anyways I just wanted to give you something."

The blonde looked at him confused as he reached into his pack, "I was going to wait until you became a genin, but I figured what the hell…you should have them now." Asuma handed two trench knives to Naruto. The blonde looked stunned by the gesture as he picked up the blades.

They resembled brass knuckles with a long jagged blade. Asuma smiled at his reaction as he ruffled the blonde's hair, "I got you your own pair of trench knives!"

"Thanks so much Asuma-sensei!" Naruto shouted happily as he hugged the jounin. The man patted him on the shoulder as he turned to take his leave, "I have to get back now…anyways, good luck with becoming a genin…I'll always be around if you need me, Naruto."

Asuma left without another word leaving the blonde to happily try out his new toys as he continued to train.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto had successfully passed his exams with flying colors. He walked into the classroom with his leaf headband fastened tightly around his forehead. The blonde had a proud smile as he sat down next to Sakura.

The girl looked at him skeptically as she noticed his headband, "Naruto, you passed? How?"

Everybody took immediate notice of him and began to stare at the blond incredulously. Iruka answered Sakura's question, "Naruto had a perfect score on the final exams…"

Everybody including Sasuke went wide eyed at the comment. Kiba spoke up in disbelief, "There is no way that the dobe had a perfect score!"

Iruka crossed his arms and sighed at the dog boy, "Believe me, he did. Now please sit down Kiba."

Sasuke was staring at Naruto as Iruka continued speaking, "Okay now that we have all of the passing genin in here, you will all be assigned to three man teams with a jounin instructor."

Everybody looked at Iruka excited hoping they would be put on the team with their friends. Only one thought was running through Naruto's mind, '_Anybody but Sasuke…_'

Sasuke's mind was on an opposite course however. Iruka began to announce random students to their teams as he went through the list. Everybody eagerly awaited their names to be called.

"Okay for team seven we have Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki," Sasuke and Naruto immediately locked into a death glare as they heard their names.

"Your jounin instructor will be Kakashi Hatake." Iruka continued on with the list. Naruto and Sasuke both remained silent as they looked at each other. Seated in between them, Sakura was looking back and forth at the two of them confused.

Finally, Sakura spoke up, "Will you two stop staring at each other…" Both huffed in annoyance as they focused back on Iruka.

Naruto was rather disappointed that he wasn't on a squad with Asuma, but he was hoping his new instructor would be just as helpful.

Iruka finally finished announcing the teams, "Well that's all of the teams. Wait here for your jounin teachers to come pick you up and have a nice day." The chunin then walked out leaving the students alone in the room.

Everybody immediately surrounded Naruto and began to question him. "Seriously how the hell did a moron like you get a perfect score on the test?" Kiba shouted in disbelief.

"Maybe that's because I am not a moron," Naruto replied slightly amused. Shikamaru shook his head and sighed, "There's no way you scored perfectly on the written exam, and I don't ever recall seeing you make a successful clone before,"

Naruto looked at him and sighed as he formed a cross sign with his hands, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The blond created several shadow clones much to everybody's surprise. "I don't remember Iruka Sensei teaching that jutsu!" Sakura shouted at the blonde.

"He didn't…Naruto obviously learned it elsewhere," Shikamaru noted. Sasuke silently stared at the blond as he dispelled his shadow clones and kicked back in his seat. Everybody then dispersed into their particular new teams.

Sakura shook her head at the sight of Naruto and Sasuke ignoring each other. She coughed loudly as she looked between them, "Well are you two going to talk at all?"

Sasuke sent a cold glare towards the pink haired genin, "Hmph…I'm not here to entertain you."

Sakura turned her attention towards Naruto and started to question him, "Well Naruto would you mind telling me where you learned how to do shadow clones?"

He looked over at Sakura who had a curious expression on her face. Naruto shrugged at her carelessly, "I don't remember…maybe I'll tell you if you go on that date with me."

"Not in your life!" Sakura shouted at him. Much to her surprise however, Sasuke cut in, "What are the odds of me being paired with the dobe and Barbie ninja?"

Both shinobi turned their gaze towards Sasuke offended. Sakura was about to mouth off, but Naruto beat her to it, "Believe me the feeling is mutual Uchiha!"

The three genin began to ignore each other afterwards. Hinata looked down from her seat at Naruto as she recalled the events of him training last week. Unlike the rest of the genin, Hinata knew that Naruto was a lot stronger than people gave him credit for.

Hinata dreamily stared at the blonde as he occasionally glanced over at Sasuke and Sakura. What surprised her though is when Sasuke looked up at her. The Uchiha sent a nasty glare towards the Hyuuga much to her surprise.

Sasuke had never liked Hinata and she did not know why. Drawn from her thoughts, Hinata heard a woman announced for team eight to come with her. Hinata left with Kiba and Shino out the door but not before looking back at a glaring Sasuke.

Jounin were periodically arriving in the classroom to take their teams away until all that remained was team seven. There was dead silence between the trio. They had been waiting over two hours for their instructor to show up.

Finally, Sakura couldn't take the silence anymore and started talking, "So are you guys excited about becoming official ninjas?"

Sasuke glanced up at her but didn't bother responding. Naruto on the other hand nodded his head, "I am excited that we can finally get out of the classrooms and test our skills on real missions!"

Obviously Sakura hated boredom more than Naruto because she continued talking to him, "My parents are so proud of me. They threw me a party for graduating last night. What about you two…Are your parents proud too?"

Naruto and Sasuke instantly looked distant at the mention of parents and didn't respond. Sakura studied their reactions and came to the conclusion at last, "Ooh…sorry."

"Don't be sorry Sakura-chan, you didn't know," Naruto said forgivingly. Sasuke on the other hand continued to brood in silence as she glared daggers in the back of Sakura's head.

Sakura smiled at Naruto's attitude and giggled, "It's strange…I always thought you were just a hyperactive knucklehead, but you're kind of cool today, Naruto."

Sasuke inwardly hurled at the giggle the pink girl made as she watched the scene intently. The raven haired girl was tired of Sakura talking and thanked whatever divine force was watching her that their instructor finally walked into the room.

"Yo, is this my team?" Kakashi asked casually as he examined the three genin before him. "You must be Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said excited. The jounin nodded his head as he looked at the girl.

"All right, you three meet me on the rooftops so we can all introduce ourselves." The three genin did as they were told and made their way to the rooftop of the academy. When they got there, they saw Kakashi sitting over a balcony. He waved them over and motioned for them to sit down in front of him.

"Okay, I want you three to introduce yourselves and give me your likes, dislikes, and dreams," The masked jounin said calmly.

"I'll start first…Hi, my name is Kakashi Hatake and that's all you need to know," the jounin said.

He looked at Naruto first and the boy began to speak, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki…my likes include training, eating ramen, and fighting. My dislikes are people who underestimate me, and my dream is to become the greatest Hokage of all time."

Kakashi nodded his head and looked at Sakura. She coughed to clear her throat and began to speak, "My name is Sakura Haruno…my likes include cute boys, cute outfits, and romantic novels. My dislikes are waiting around for a long time and mean people. My dream is to become a great medic nin and to marry my prince charming!"

Kakashi eyed her briefly, '_This girl reminds me of Rin…_'

As he focused his gaze on the final student, Sasuke began to speak, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha and I don't have any likes or dislikes. My dream is to kill a certain somebody…"

Sakura looked over at the girl confused as Sasuke glared at the ground. Kakashi nodded his head and responded, "Alright well now that we all know each other, you kids are free to go home. Meet me at training ground seven tomorrow morning at 5:00 A.M. Don't eat breakfast or you'll throw up."

Without another word, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke. The three genin began to take their leave. Naruto looked over at Sakura and asked her the question of the day, "Hey Sakura-chan, do you want to go get some ramen and get to know each other? I mean since we're team mates and all…"

"For the last time NO! Seriously, Naruto, I am not interested in you," Sakura stated loudly. Naruto nodded his head at the expected rejection and jumped off the roof taking his leave. Sakura looked over and Sasuke and shook her head in annoyance, "He's such a loser…I mean can you believe that guy?"

Sasuke was gone before Sakura even realized she was talking to nobody. Sakura shook her head and sighed, '_One is an idiot who won't leave me alone, and the other one is a bitch who doesn't want anything to do with me…_'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The following day, Naruto was the first person to make it to the training ground. He wasn't much of a sleeper and typically woke up early to train anyways. The blonde casually sat against a tree after getting there.

A bit later, Sasuke was the second person to arrive. She was quite surprised to see Naruto already there. She thanked the heavens that she would finally get more alone time with blonde. Sasuke walked up and sat directly next to Naruto much to his utter disbelief.

Naruto remained silent as the two sat there calmly. Finally, Naruto spoke up, "Umm…why are you sitting here?"

Sasuke looked at him amused, "Why not? I can sit wherever I want…I could even sit on you if I wanted."

The Uchiha inwardly cursed herself for the way she answered him.

Naruto raised a brow at the Uchiha confused, "What the hell? What is your problem with me?"

Sasuke was quiet for a minute but finally answered, "I don't have a problem with you…"

"Could have fooled me…care to explain why you're always a bitch to me and only me?" Naruto asked. The Uchiha nervously avoided Naruto's cerulean gaze as she looked down, "I…well I just don't…"

"Spit it out Uchiha…you didn't seem to have a problem making fun of me before," Naruto stated angrily. Sasuke sighed as her walls immediately came back up, "Listen dobe, I don't have to explain myself to you or anybody…"

Naruto glared at the girl and laughed, "Somebody is going to have to teach you a lesson Uchiha…I guess that person should be me!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Sasuke laughed at him. The duo immediately leapt to their feet and got into fighting stances as they stared each other down. Sasuke went through several hand seals and shouted, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)

Sasuke spit a large ball of fire from her mouth towards Naruto. The blonde went through several hand seals of his own to counter it, "Suiton Suijinheki!" (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall)

A large barrier of water shot from Naruto's mouth to block the fireball.

The two elements struggled back and forth for a while before the water finally enveloped Sasuke's attack. The Uchiha looked impressed by his jutsu and spoke up, "I didn't know a dobe like you knew any other jutsus…"

"Not so high and mighty now huh Uchiha?" The girl smirked at him and pulled out several kunai. They had explosive tags on them. Sasuke threw the kunai in unison towards the blonde but was shocked as he countered it again, "Fūton: Daitoppa!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)

A massive gust of wind blasted from Naruto blowing the kunai away in all directions causing random explosions towards the nearby trees. Sasuke felt herself being pushed back by the gust. As the wind subsided, the Uchiha charged towards Naruto with a kunai drawn.

Naruto pulled out his trench knives and parried Sasuke's attack easily. The raven haired girl flipped over him and began to relentlessly assail the blonde. Naruto managed to keep up with Sasuke's fast pace as the two battled.

A loud shriek instantly caused both of them to stop fighting as they turned to see a worried Sakura staring at them. "What the hell are you two doing?" Sakura asked confused.

The two traded annoyed glances at each other and put their weapons away. Sasuke walked over towards a tree and began to lean against it as Naruto approached Sakura. "We were just sparring Sakura-chan…trying to pass the time until Kakashi-sensei arrives."

The pink haired girl looked at the devastated part of the training ground the group was in and looked skeptical, "How did you two do all of this?"

"Mind your own business Barbie…" Sasuke said coldly as she glared at Sakura. The pink haired girl ignored Sasuke and sighed as the trio began to wait around in silence. Two hours went by as they waited for their sensei to show up.

During this time, Naruto and Sasuke kept trying to steal glances at each other. Naruto would occasionally catch the Uchiha staring but pretended not to notice. Sasuke was surprised by the prowess the supposed dead last showed during their fight.

'_I knew there was more to him…he must be concealing his powers, but why? I had no idea he was that strong…_' Sasuke was extremely distressed by the situation she had caused earlier. '_This always happens…I try to talk to him and then suddenly I go off and say something stupid making him hate me more._'

"Why is our sensei late!" Sakura complained trying to break the awkward silence. Sasuke and Naruto were locked into a staring contest both completely oblivious to Sakura's question.

She looked frustrated at her two team mates as they both continued staring at each other. Finally, Sasuke spoke up, "Maybe you'll be useful after all Uzumaki…"

"Anything for you Sasuke-chan…" Naruto said sarcastically. Nevertheless, Sasuke was shocked at the last part out of Naruto's mouth and looked away hiding her slight blush. Naruto didn't notice as Sakura stepped in front of him and started waving in his face, "Hello! Will you stop ignoring me for heaven's sake?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and laughed, "Oh yeah…sorry Sakura-chan. What were you asking?"

"I was saying that our sensei is two hours late again!" Sakura yelled. Naruto nodded his head at the girl and sighed, "Yeah all of this waiting around is really boring."

As if answering their plea, Kakashi finally walked over the bridge and waved to the three genin, "Hey guys what's up?"

"Why are you late!" Sakura demanded looking at the masked jounin annoyed.

"Oh, well you see I was on my way here and this old lady I ran into asked me if I could help her rearrange her house, so being the good citizen I am, I decided to help her."

Everybody sweat dropped immediately seeing through his lie. "Whatever…let's just get started," Sasuke sighed.

Kakashi nodded his head as he motioned for the three genin to follow him. They made their way into a clearing and finally Kakashi turned to face the group.

"Alright, you three. There is one final test you must perform if you wish to become a genin…you see these two bells here? You are going to have to get one if you want to become a full fledged genin."

Sakura looked confused, "I thought we already passed the exam!"

Kakshi shook his head, "The academy and the real thing don't compare…this final exam narrows down the genin hopefuls so we don't send people who aren't ready on missions."

Sakura nodded her head and responded, "I get it…this is a practical field test to see how we work together."

Kakashi nodded his head at the girl, "Use team work and you'll pass otherwise you're all going back to the academy."

The three genin nodded at the jounin.

"Now come at me with intent to kill otherwise you stand no chance in capturing a bell," Kakashi said.

The three genin instantly ran for cover like Kakashi expected they would. He looked around waiting for one of them to make the first move before pulling out his infamous Icha Icha Paradise book.

Naruto managed to locate Sakura and started whispering to the girl, "You and me can do it Sakura-chan, we just have to go at him together. I'll distract him and you cover his flank."

Much to both of their surprise, Sasuke cut in, "Listen up Uzumaki…the two of us can take this guy if we work together. We just have to be relentless."

Naruto looked at Sasuke and sighed, "Fine…but this doesn't change anything between you and me."

The Uchiha girl shrugged, "Whatever…let's just go."

"What do you want me to do?" Sakura asked the blonde. Naruto looked at her and smiled, "Just keep your eyes open and rush him when you see an opening. I know you can do it Sakura-chan."

Sakura nodded her head and smiled at the boy's encouragement. Naruto and Sasuke instantly leapt from the trees and stood across from their jounin instructor. Kakashi eyed them both lazily, "A frontal attack isn't going to be very effective against me…"

Naruto laughed at the man and replied, "We'll see about that, "Fūton: Daitoppa!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough) Sasuke added to Naruto's wind attack, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)

The fire and wind combo caught Kakashi completely by surprise causing him to drop his book and dodge it.

Kakashi immediately saw kunai with explosive tags raining around his location. There was a large explosion but the jounin's body turned out to be a log. The real Kakashi appeared behind the two genin and delivered a roundhouse kick.

Naruto managed to counterattack with a kick of his own while Sasuke stabbed the jounin from behind.

Once again, it turned out to be a substitution. The real Kakashi was standing on a tree branch a short distance away and waved to them, "I wasn't aware that academy students knew how to do elemental jutsus…genin don't normally have the chakra for it."

They traded annoyed glances as they made another dash towards the man. Naruto dove into the jounin at point blank range causing him to jump into the air. Sasuke took the opportunity to launch another fire ball at him.

The jounin managed to evade the blast, but was surprised as a gust of wind instantly blew him off balance upon landing. The masked man stumbled briefly before regaining his composure looking around for Naruto. He saw the blonde charging him point blank again dodged him as he slashed his knives.

"Are you kids trying to kill me?" Kakashi asked amused as Naruto and Sasuke continued to assail him.

Kakashi barely had time to look around as the two continued to flail at him repeatedly pushing him closer towards the edge of the forest. Seizing the opportunity, Sakura dove out of the foliage and nearly grabbed a bell but missed as Kakashi caught her hand.

"Pretty sneaky for a bunch of kids…" Kakashi noted. Naruto charged the silver haired man again and threw a bunch of shuriken at him which immediately revealed Kakashi to be a wooden log. Naruto looked around for the jounin and saw him next to Sasuke.

The Uchiha delivered a powerful kick towards the masked ninja which he managed to catch, but Kakashi was surprised to see Naruto's hand almost catching a bell.

Kakashi threw both genin back and chuckled at their tenacity, "You three are pretty good for a bunch of kids…interesting combination of team work."

The three genin jumped back as Kakashi blanketed the area in shuriken. Taking this opportunity, Kakashi appeared behind Naruto and shook his head as he held a kunai to his throat, "You're clever kid…but not that clever."

Suddenly, Kakashi felt a weight around his waist and saw another Naruto holding both bells. The Naruto in front of Kakashi turned into a puff of smoke impressing the jounin greatly, "Hmm…a shadow clone. Very interesting normally I can see those."

"So do we pass?" Sakura asked excited.

The masked man looked over at the three genin before him and answered, "Well you're the first group who's ever actually taken the bells. That wasn't really the purpose of this test. The purpose was to test your team work…and from what I can see, you three worked well together. So you all pass."

The three genin all celebrated in their own way. Naruto and Sakura cheered triumphantly while Sasuke smirked quietly.

"I've never seen genin with your potential before…" the man focused his gaze on Naruto and Sasuke, "You are going to go far. Anyways, you three are dismissed for the day. From here on out meet me at Team Seven's training ground first thing every morning."

Without another word Kakashi vanished leaving the genin alone. Naruto looked over towards Sakura and asked his daily question, "So Sakura-chan, how about we go and celebrate by getting some ramen? I'll buy!"

The girl looked at him and smiled, "Normally I'd say no…but you really pulled through for us today, so I guess I kind of owe it to ya."

Sasuke looked annoyed at the sight, '_What the hell? She didn't even do anything…what the fuck does he see in her anyways?_'

"Can I come?" Sasuke asked causing Naruto's eyes to shoot open in shock. "What? I was under the impression you and I were sworn enemies…" Naruto stated.

"We're team mates…I was just trying to be…umm…friendly," Sasuke stated.

"We're all team mates so I say let her come, Naruto," Sakura said cheerfully. The blonde nodded in agreement, "Alright Sasuke, you can come with us to Ichiraku's Ramen."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The three genin were seated at the ramen stand. Naruto was sitting in the middle with Sakura on one side and Sasuke on another. They were actually having a pleasant lunch much to all of their surprise.

Sakura looked over at Naruto and giggled, "I can't believe I am eating lunch with you and it isn't weird."

"See…I told you that you were missing out," Naruto responded flirtatiously. The pink haired girl laughed in response, "Don't go off thinking this is a romantic date or anything…got it Naruto?"

"It's okay to admit that you're enjoying this, Sakura-chan," Naruto chuckled. The pink haired girl glanced at the boy cheerfully as he continued to eat his ramen.

"Hey Naruto…I just wanted to thank you for encouraging me earlier. It meant a lot to me," Sakura said as she continued to gaze at the boy.

Naruto flashed her a foxy grin and nodded his head, "We're team mates Sakura, I'll always be there for you!"

Sasuke was completely disgusted by the scene she had just witnessed. '_Stupid useless bitch…Ugh why the hell does he like her so much?_'

Sakura noticed the cold glared Sasuke was directing towards her and crossed her arms at the Uchiha, "Why don't you like me Sasuke?"

Drawn from her thoughts the Uchiha responded coldly, "Hmph…I am done here."

Sasuke got up to leave the Ramen Stand and started making her way down the street towards the Uchiha complex. She didn't get far before Naruto jumped in front of her with his arms crossed. The two genin stared each other down again.

There was a long silence before Sasuke finally spoke up, "Thanks for lunch, Naruto…I'll see you around."

Naruto looked shocked as the girl pushed past him with a smile on her face. He shook his head in confusion, '_Did she just…thank me and call be by my name?_'

Naruto couldn't help but stare at the retreating form of the raven haired beauty walking away. Running up to him, Sakura began to speak, "Where did Sasuke go?"

The blonde shrugged at her question and sighed, "Sasuke's just not feeling well. Anyways, I'll see you around Sakura-chan."

"Wait!" Sakura demanded grabbing Naruto's arm. He turned around and looked at her, "What is it Sakura-chan?"

"I just…wanted to ask you if…well what I am trying to ask is how come you are able to do all of these jutsus yet you are the dead last in the academy?"

Naruto smiled at the pink ninja, "That's a secret Sakura-chan…I might have to get to know you better before I go off and tell you about that."

Sakura smirked at the boy's bribe, "Maybe I'll consider it…"

"Anyways, take care Sakura-chan." Naruto left without another word.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As Naruto was walking home, his mind kept wandering in weird places. He was thinking about Sasuke of all people. He didn't know why…he had finally gone on a date with Sakura, and Sasuke was the only thing on his mind at the moment.

'_She said my name. She looked so cute standing there in front of me and…NO what the hell am I thinking. This is Sasuke the evil bitch I'm thinking about here!_' Naruto went over the scene in his head hundreds of times on his way home.

He just didn't understand why the girl thanked him. '_Maybe she was impressed by our fight earlier…I guess it isn't surprising considering people like her only care about strength and power._'

Naruto fought hard to push the thought to the back of his mind. He finally concluded that Sasuke only said his name out of respect for their fight.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

'_I just don't get him…I am the strongest girl in the entire village and he goes for the weak school girl bitch. What makes her so much better than me? I can't believe this shit…I didn't say one thing to him the entire time at the ramen stand…I missed my chance!_'

Sasuke was deeply brooding on her walk home. She was very depressed about the scene that had occurred earlier. She couldn't stand the sight of Naruto flirting with Sakura any longer and had to leave.

'_Well at least I thanked him…maybe I'll have another chance to talk to him one on one tomorrow. I just need to get there first so I get some alone time with him away from stupid Saku-bitch._'

Sasuke then had a brilliant idea flash through her mind, '_I know what I can do…I just have to make Sakura look bad in front of Naruto._'

Tons of ideas flowed through the girl's mind as she wandered home scheming.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next day, Naruto was the first person at the training ground and was casually sitting against the same tree from yesterday. He looked slightly tired due to a lack of sleep.

Coming across the bridge, the infamous Uchiha girl sat down next to him the exact same way she had done previously. Naruto looked over at her and made an effort to be nice, "Hey Sasuke…"

"Naruto…" Sasuke managed to say but quieted down as she looked towards the ground.

The blonde looked at her and spoke up again, "Sorry about yesterday…I was being an ass."

"Don't be sorry…" Sasuke said embarrassedly as she avoided eye contact. There was a long awkward silence between the two again.

'_He's sitting right there…nobody else is around. Say something!_' Sasuke yelled at herself inwardly.

"So Naruto…I umm…I liked those two jutsus you did yesterday. They were quite impressive," Sasuke said somewhat sheepishly. Naruto looked confused at the girl's sudden change in attitude and replied, "Thanks Sasuke…your fire was pretty badass too. Is that something your clan taught you?"

The Uchiha nodded her head, "Yeah…I learned it from my brother Itachi."

"I didn't know you had a brother…" Naruto said interested. Sasuke scooted closer towards the boy and looked at him, "There's a lot you don't know about me…like you I am not all I appear to be."

Naruto looked at the girl oddly, "What are you implying?"

"I'm just saying I see past your innocent idiot act…I know you are one of the strongest genin in our year. I know that you have received some form of special training. Plus, I know for a fact that you are a lot smarter than you pretend to be."

Naruto looked shocked by the girl's words and shook his head, "Well aren't you the curious one…I guess it's true. How long have you known?"

"Three years…I pay close attention to you," Sasuke said as she looked away in embarrassment. Naruto looked confused, "Why? What reason would you possibly have for keeping track of what I do?"

"I am just curious about you…" Sasuke managed to answer.

Before Naruto could respond, Sakura arrived and saw the two of them sitting directly next to each other against the tree.

She looked shocked at the sight and coughed as she walked up, "You two seem to be getting along…how long have you been here?"

'_Not long enough…go away you banshee!_' Sasuke inwardly answered. Naruto on the other hand stood up and smiled, "Hey Sakura-chan, I've been here for about half an hour or so."

"What were you two talking about when I walked up?" Sakura asked eyeing the two suspiciously. Both genin refused to answer the girl and looked away quietly.

"I swear…you two are a complete mystery. There are way too many secrets between the three of us," Sakura concluded.

"Our secrets are none of your business…" Sasuke said coldly. Naruto sighed at the Uchiha's former attitude coming back.

A short distance away, Kakashi was watching the three genin interact. '_Hmm…Sasuke seems to have something against Sakura. She was getting along fine with Naruto until Sakura arrived._'

The jounin continued to watch the genin from a distance.

"Naruto…c'mon, tell me please," Sakura said in the in most girly way possible. The blonde looked away and sighed, "Listen Sakura…It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's that I can't."

"Why not? We're team mates right?" Sakura complained as she took a step closer towards the blonde.

Sasuke immediately stepped in front of Sakura blocking her view of Naruto and began to stare, "I've got a deal for you Haruno…you beat me in a fight and I'll tell you what we were talking about."

Sakura nervously backed away as Sasuke got into a fighting stance.

From a distance Kakashi watched the scene unfold with interest, _'I see now…the Uchiha girl has a crush on Minato's son…interesting.' _

Sasuke immediately charged the pink haired girl and was about to punch her in the face before Naruto grabbed her hand stopping it. Sasuke looked shocked to see Naruto catch her fist, "You're fast…"

Sakura backed away in shock and shook her head, "You were really going to hit me?"

Sasuke pulled her arm back and scoffed, "Get used to it Barbie, in the real world, you won't get to choose your battles…be thankful Naruto was here to protect you."

Kakashi decided this way a good time to intervene and appeared on the bridge walking over towards the three genin.

They all looked up at him curiously as he began to speak, "Good news guys…we've got missions to do today. I already took the liberty of signing you three up for a bunch of D rank missions."

The trio eyed him curiously as he continued, "Believe me…these are some of the most important missions necessary to refine ninja skills and uphold a strong presence among the village."

Naruto inwardly sighed at Kakashi's statement, '_Yeah…slave labor is very essential in making me a better ninja…_'

"What are we waiting for? Let's get started!" Sakura exclaimed cheerfully.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The following weeks were spent endlessly doing D missions. During this time, Team Seven hadn't made much progress at getting any closer. Naruto would occasionally ask Sakura out on dates but she refused hoping he would spill his secrets to her.

Sasuke on the other hand had been very quiet after her ordeal with Sakura. The pink haired girl did not like the Uchiha at all and spent most of her time talking with Naruto. Much to Sasuke's disappointment, that only made the two of them closer.

The raven haired girl spent a lot of her spare time training harder. Despite Sasuke's original purpose for killing Itachi, she also wanted to impress Naruto. Sasuke didn't get much of a chance to talk to Naruto over the past few weeks because the blonde was too distracted by Sakura.

It was another early morning that Sasuke headed for the training ground. She continued to arrive early despite the fact that Kakashi was always late. Mostly, Sasuke just wanted any excuse to spend more time with Naruto.

As usual, the blonde was sitting against a tree sharpening his knives. Sasuke walked over and sat next to him like she always did. Naruto didn't bother looking up as he continued to sharpen his blades. '_This sucks…why the hell do I like him so much?_'

Finally, Naruto looked up at Sasuke and smiled, "Hey, Sasuke, what's up? "

"Hey Naruto…" Sasuke said as she looked into his oceanic blue eyes.

The two were staring at each other awkwardly. After a minute, Sasuke looked away embarrassed trying to hide a slight blush. "Hey Sasuke…can you help me with something?" the blonde asked.

The raven haired girl looked over at him with a dirty thought crossing her mind. Sasuke nodded her head, "What do you need help with?"

"Well it's about Sakura…you see Valentine's Day is coming up and I want to try and impress her. You're a girl…what kind of stuff would impress you?" Naruto asked sheepishly.

Sasuke's face turned to a scowl at the mention of Sakura as she looked away jealously. "I'm not a girly girl Naruto…the stuff that would impress me are completely different that the stuff that would impress Sakura."

"Well what would a boy have to do to impress you?" Naruto asked carefully. Sasuke looked at him and smiled as the conversation switched back to her, "Well…" the raven haired girl blushed deeply as she looked away shamefully.

Before Naruto could say anything else, Sakura instantly caught his eye as she ran across the bridge waving, "Morning Naruto!"

"Morning Sakura-chan!" Naruto said cheerfully as he jumped up to greet the pink haired girl. Sasuke sighed at the sight and looked away in disgust, '_Watching them fawn over each other makes me sick…if they end up together on Valentine's Day I'll kill her!'_

The rest of the morning was spent listening to Sakura talk about her social life. "So then Ino said that this boy was super cute but that he wasn't a ninja…so that's why she said we should only date other ninjas," Sakura rambled.

"Well my door's always open Sakura-chan…" Naruto suggested with a foxy grin. Sakura giggled and shook her head, "We're just friends Naruto…besides I don't like you like that."

'_Good answer bitch…it better stay that way or you'll go missing!_' Inner Sasuke yelled at the girl. Kakashi showed up earlier than usual much to the group's surprise.

"Good news you three…I got permission for us to go on a C rank mission. It took a lot of convincing, but I managed to talk the Hokage into allowing it since you three have been doing well lately," Kakashi said casually.

"Awesome!" Naruto cheered. Sakura looked optimistic, "A C rank mission? What are we going to be doing?"

Kakashi answered her, "Follow me to the Hokage's Office, We have an escort mission to protect a man named Tazuna on his return trip to Wave Country."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Team Seven was walking through the gates of the village of Konoha along with the old man known as Tazuna. He felt slightly offended that his guard consisted mostly of kids, but Kakashi assured the man that he would be safe.

The group made decent progress on their way towards Wave Country occasionally going over interesting topics. As they passed over a puddle of water, Naruto instantly looked up in the sky and noticed it was clear, '_It hasn't rained lately…_'

The blonde looked at Kakashi, "Hey Kakashi-sensei…that puddle isn't natural."

The masked jounin nodded his head as he looked down at it, "You're right…it hasn't rained lately."

Suddenly, a masked ninja leapt from the water and wrapped a chain towards Kakashi. Another one instantly leapt from the threes and followed suit ripping the jounin in half. Although Kakashi just turned into a puff of smoke.

The enemy ninja tried to stab Naruto with his spiked gauntlet, but was unsuccessful as Sasuke blind sided him with a swift kick. Tazuna back away in fear with Sakura as the two enemies attacked Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto drew his trench knives and channeled wind chakra over the edges as the masked enemies whipped their chains around Naruto. The blonde instantly sliced the chains into pieces shocking the two enemy ninjas.

Seizing the moment, Sasuke went through several hand seals and launched a massive fireball scorching the two enemies. They managed to avoid the blunt force of the attack, but were set on fire from it. They both dashed Sasuke from either side with their gauntlets raised.

Before they could hit her however, Naruto stabbed both of them from behind with his chakra infused trench knives causing both of the enemies to fall over dead.

Sasuke looked at Naruto impressed as a smile came across her lips. Tazuna and Sakura on the other hand were terrified by the battle. Kakashi leapt from the trees and spoke up in a serious tone, "Those two are chunin level missing nin…care to explain why they were after you, Tazuna?"

The old man looked down nervously and sighed, "They were sent by Gato…he doesn't want me to finish building the bridge. I had no idea he had shinobi at his disposal."

"This mission is now at least an A rank…we're going to have to take you back to Konoha and fix this," Kakashi said dryly.

"No you can't do that…you guys took care of them just fine…I can't afford this contract if it is an A rank!" Tazuna shouted.

Naruto looked over towards his sensei and cut in, "We can handle this Kakashi-sensei…we took care of those guys just fine, and with you here I'm sure we'll be okay."

Kakashi thought for a moment as he examined his team. After a long silence he finally nodded his head, "You guys aren't regular genin and with me I guess it is doable…fine, we'll continue then."

Sakura looked worried as the group continued down the road. The pink haired girl shook her head at the look on Naruto's face. "Naruto, you killed those guys back there…" Sakura said concerned.

Naruto looked at her and nodded, "Yes, I did…"

"You don't care?" The girl asked worried. The group all stopped in its tracks and turned to face Sakura.S

Before Naruto could say anything, Sasuke decided to cut in, "Remember when I said we couldn't pick our fights…that was a perfect example. As ninja we'll be expected to kill from time to time…Naruto did the right thing."

Kakashi nodded in agreement, "Sasuke is right Sakura…sometimes we have to kill people. It's not a lesson I encourage for kids as young as you three, but there's no changing that now."

Naruto sighed deeply and spoke up, "I was just trying to protect you guys…not to mention, the world is a better place with two less scumbags like them anyways."

"Naruto…" Sakura began as the group continued walking. The pink haired girl couldn't find the words and just decided to close her mouth as she followed the group again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well that's it for this first chapter. As you can see, the story is going to primarily focus around Naruto and Sasuke's feelings for each other. Of course there will be lots of action and drama too.

I may or may not continue this, but I felt like trying one of these. Also, if you want a better visual of what female Sasuke looks like, go look up "Female Sasuke" by Virte on Deviant Art...Anyways, let me know how you felt about it.


	2. Chapter 2

Well so far it seems most of you liked chapter one. Here's another one.

**Chapter 2: Wave Country**

Team seven and Tazuna had been traveling for the past three days. They were finally coming upon the coastal borders of the Land of Fire.

The trip had been fairly uneventful and almost nothing interesting had occurred. Naruto and Sasuke barely spoke at all and appeared distant most of the trip while Sakura on the other hand would talk to Kakashi about some boring topic or another.

Currently, the group was approaching a harbor and saw a man in the distance. He was a rower waiting by a boat to take random travelers across. As they got closer, Tazuna addressed the man, "Can you take us across?"

The man recognized Tazuna and nodded his head, "It's good to see you again Tazuna-san…things have been rather gloomy since you left."

"Why what has happened?" The old man asked. The boat rower sighed deeply and answered, "Well it seems Gato hired a notorious missing nin to halt the production of the bridge."

Kakashi cut into the conversation and asked, "Notorious missing nin? Do you know who it is?"

The rower shook his head and looked down terrified, "No…I haven't seen him personally, but some of the others said that he is a muscular guy with a giant sword."

The copy nin looked worried at the mention of giant sword. Kakashi shook his head and sighed, "If this man uses a giant sword than he would have to be one of the seven swordsmen of the mist…"

Everybody present tensed up with shocked expressions on their faces. Tazuna looked horrified and began to tremble. "Depending on which of the swordsmen this missing nin is this mission is definitely an A rank or higher," Kakashi said casually.

"We can't handle this mission Kakashi-sensei! Somebody could get hurt!" Sakura exclaimed fearfully.

Kakashi sighed deeply as he examined his team, "Well under normal circumstances I would immediately report back for reinforcements, but seeing as how we're a team I'll let you three decide what we do. This is invaluable field training that will make you three better shinobi."

"We have to turn back Kakashi-sensei! A rank missions are for jounins or Anbu!" Sakura shouted. Her behavior was contagious because Tazuna and the rower began to look concerned as well.

"We can handle this Kakashi-sensei…it's only one guy," Naruto commented. Sasuke nodded in agreement, "I say we keep going…quitting is for losers and cowards." The raven haired girl focused her gaze on Sakura after saying that.

The pink haired girl balled her fist angrily at Sasuke and then looked back towards Kakashi, "I'm not going to quit and drag the team down! I won't be the reason for a failed mission!"

Kakashi looked over his three pupils and sighed, "Well we are a team…since the three of you have willingly agreed to do this, we will finish the mission or die trying."

"Are you kidding me? You and these kids are going to protect us against a swordsman of the mist?" Tazuna shouted in disbelief.

"My students have already saved your life from two chunins. If you would prefer, we could always just go back to Konoha and let you deal with him alone," Kakashi said casually.

"NO! Don't go…you and these kids are just fine…" Tazuna said desperately. Kakashi nodded his head and replied, "Good…now let's take this boat to Wave Country."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The group finally arrived at the island. As they got out of the boat, they noticed the area was shrouded in mist. Kakashi looked around on full alert as the group left the small harbor. Team Seven made its way down the road cautiously.

"Why is it so misty?" Tazuna asked clueless.

"This mist is giving me the creeps…is it just me or does anybody else feel like we're being followed?" Sakura asked nervously.

"Sakura get down!" Naruto shouted as he tackled the pink haired girl to the ground. A massive sword narrowly flew over her and imbedded itself into a tree.

Kakashi looked at the sword and over towards his team, "We've got company!"

Tazuna appeared to be having a heart attack as a man landed on the handle of the massive blade. Everybody examined the figure closely to see a tall muscular man wearing no shirt. He had spiky black hair and bandages wrapped around his mouth.

"They sent kids to stop me?" Zabuza asked amused. He looked over the four ninja before him and shook his head, '_What the hell is this? Two girls, a blonde kid, and one jounin?_'

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked in a serious tone eyeing the swordsman carefully. Zabuza chuckled at the masked man and answered, "They call me the Demon of the Mist…"

"You're Zabuza…I've heard of you," Kakashi stated calmly. Tazuna's eyes nearly flew out of their sockets upon hearing the name.

"OH NO! We're all going to die!" Tazuna shouted terrified. Zabuza drew his sword from the tree and looked over towards Tazuna, "You must be the bridge builder I was hired to kill. Hahaha you should be afraid of me!"

Without wasting anytime, the swordsman immediately charged towards Tazuna and cleaved his butcher blade. Before it made contact, Kakashi blocked the sword with a kunai. The copy nin was pushed a few feet back from the force of the parry.

Zabuza shook his head and laughed at Kakashi, "You must be the leader of this little rag tag bunch of kids! I'm pretty hurt that Konoha would send a little trio of kids with some chump like you to stop me!"

"You're mistaken if you think that you're going to kill Tazuna. We are going to stop you!" Naruto shouted at the swordsman. Zabuza pulled his blade back and looked over towards the blonde.

"You're out of your mind kid…how the hell did you become a ninja?" Zabuza asked amused.

"Same way you did I suppose," Naruto shot back.

"I can't believe how easy it is to become a genin in Konoha. We have to kill another student for our final test," Zabuza said coldly.

"Your two lackeys are lying in a pool of blood courtesy of me…your next on the list!" Naruto shouted at the swordsman darkly.

Everybody in team seven was taken aback by Naruto's dark attitude.

"You expect me to believe a pathetic Konoha genin killed the Demon Brothers?" Zabuza asked amused.

"How's about I prove it to you…" Naruto said eerily as he drew his trench knives and channeled wind chakra over them. Zabuza watched the sight interested, "Wind chakra? Hmm…that's a jounin technique."

Sakura looked worried as Naruto and ran towards Zabuza.

"Naruto wait don't go near him!" Kakashi ordered sternly. The blonde genin disobeyed the jounin slashing towards Zabuza full force.

The swordsman flipped back narrowly dodging Naruto's attack and laughed, "Pretty tenacious for a Konoha genin…you might have made a good Kiri nin hahaha!"

Zabuza shook his head amused as he leapt into the air smashed his sword down towards the blonde. Naruto dodged the attack and delivered a kick to the side of Zabuza's head as he landed.

The swordsman immediately swung the butcher blade in an arc towards Naruto, but much to his surprise, the blonde parried the attack with his knives. The two were deadlocked momentarily as Zabuza chuckled, "Pretty strong for a kid…but not strong enough!"

The swordsman began to overpower Naruto as he pushed his blade further down on the genin. Naruto began to shake under the weight of Zabuza's blade until several shuriken flew towards the swordsman forcing him to move.

Kakashi ran over with a kunai drawn and began to draw Zabuza away from Naruto. Unfortunately for him though, Zabuza managed to deliver a powerful kick behind his legs knocking him down.

Kakashi narrowly dodged the massive sword crashing against the ground as he got back up. As Zabuza recovered from the recoil, he heard Sasuke yell, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)

Zabuza went through several hand seals to counter the fireball, "Suiton Suihashu!" (Water Wave Hand)

A stream of water erupted from Zabuza's hand to block the fireball. The water easily overpowered Sasuke's attack and shot the Uchiha back a good distance. The swordsman repeated his jutsu and aimed it for Naruto, "Suiton Suihashu!" (Water Wave Hand)

Much to his surprise, Naruto blocked the water with his own jutsu, "Suiton Suijinheki!" (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall) The two attacks pushed back and forth until Naruto went through another set of hand seals, "Fūton: Daitoppa!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)

Naruto's added wind allowed him to reverse Zabuza's attack back at him washing the swordsman into the river behind him. Kakashi looked impressed as the blonde walked over towards and him, "I told you we could handle this guy."

"You're just a genin…how in the world are you doing multiple jutsus?" Kakashi asked curiously. Naruto didn't answer him as he expected.

Kakashi thought about his question and then realization struck, '_This is Minato's son…why am I even surprised? Not to mention I'm sure he's got enormous chakra thanks to Kyuubi.'_

Sasuke walked over and looked at the flowing river alertly, "Be ready he could come back out at any moment."

"Sasuke, let's do a combo and take this guy down," Naruto said calmly.

An enormous explosion of water erupted from the river as Zabuza burst from it. The swordsman looked around angrily and shook his head, "Since when can genin perform elemental jutsus?"

"You underestimated us…that will be your undoing," Sasuke responded darkly. She looked towards Naruto and both nodded in unison as they simultaneously launched wind and fire towards the swordsman. His body unexpectedly turned into water revealing it to be a water clone.

The two genin looked around alertly for the swordsman before they noticed that Kakashi was encased in a water prison. "You kids are pretty good, but you're the ones who underestimated me. Your sensei is now my bitch…and now it's just me and you three!"

"Sakura guard Tazuna, Naruto and I will handle him," Sasuke shouted. The pink haired girl nodded her head as she stepped in front of the old man. Zabuza split in two afterwards leaving his water clone to hold Kakashi's water prison.

The swordsman charged towards the genin with his sword raised high. Naruto ran into the water and met him halfway. The blonde barely avoided Zabuza's sword as he went through several hand seals, "Suiton Suigadan!" (Water Fang Projectile)

Several waterspouts shot out of the water towards Zabuza. As they got close, they sharpened and managed to stab him in several locations. Taking the opportunity, Sasuke used a fuma shuriken to free Kakashi from his water prison.

The copy nin pulled his headband up revealing his Sharingan eye. Zabuza distanced himself from the three enemies and panted heavily as he briefly examined his injuries. He looked towards Naruto and growled, "There's no way you're a genin…I've never seen anybody your age do jutsus like that!"

"Give it up Zabuza…you're outmatched," Kakashi stated seriously.

The demon of the mist saw Kakashi's Sharingan eye and spoke up in surprise, "You're the copy-nin Kakashi? They say you mastered over a thousand jutsus with that eye of yours."

"Perhaps you would like to test it out?" Kakashi asked.

"No…I wasn't expecting this. The copy nin Kakashi and these super genin of yours,"

Before anybody could respond to the swordsman, he created a massive wave and made his escape. Team seven made it to the shore to avoid the colossal blast of water. They looked around and saw no sign of Zabuza.

After a minute of pure silence Kakashi took a deep breath, "That's probably not the last we'll see of him…"

"He most likely went to retrieve back up…I wouldn't doubt it if he had a little gang," Tazuna stated.

"That guy wasn't as strong as you made him out to be…" Sasuke commented. Naruto nodded in agreement, "Yeah he ran away from us."

Kakashi looked over towards his students and shook his head in disbelief, "Naruto where did learn how to do all of that? Elemental jutsus are not taught in the academy and you're not part of a major clan…who taught you how to do that?"

"I'm surprised you didn't ask sooner Kakashi-sensei…I guess you deserve to know," Naruto sighed.

Everybody perked up interested, especially Sakura as Naruto took a deep breath.

"You see…I have had special training from Jiraiya the sannin for the past four years. I also spent a year under the tutelage of Asuma-sensei."

Everybody's eyes shot open in confusion. Sakura shook her head in disbelief, "That's preposterous! You can't honestly expect us to believe that one of the legendary sannin decided to train you!"

"That explains a lot…you're just like the fourth Hokage then," Kakashi noted. Naruto looked at the masked jounin curiously, "How so, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yondaime was also a pupil of Jiraiya's…I guess I shouldn't be surprised that he chose to train you," Kakashi said.

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked confused. The jounin shrugged at his question, "Nothing…anyways, how the hell did you talk Asuma in to training you? He doesn't like teaching."

Naruto shrugged and answered, "When the Hokage found out about Jiraiya-sensei training me, so did his son Asuma. The three of them had a long talk about me…after they were done, Asuma said he was willing to teach me about wind chakra since I was adept in it like him."

Kakashi nodded his head in amazement, "Wow…I'm surprised I never heard about this until now."

"Wait a minute! You said you have been trained for the past four years? If that's the case then why are you the dead last in the academy?" Sakura questioned furiously.

Naruto sighed deeply and answered, "Well at first, I did it to conceal my training because Jiriaya-sensei requested that, but later on I had a different reason for doing so. Asuma-sensei told me that the genin teams were usually balanced, so I figured if I pretended to be weaker than I was, then I would get a stronger team."

Sasuke had a grin etched across her face as she cut in, "You really are something else, Naruto…"

"What? That's not really fair though!" Sakura shouted.

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask at the blonde genin as he responded, "Hmm…and here I thought I was going to hate being a jounin instructor. I guess with the top two genins in Konoha, you guys will be ready for the chunin exams in a few months."

"Just how strong are you, Naruto?" Sakura asked disbelievingly. The blonde didn't answer her as he turned towards the path and began to walk. The rest of his team followed suit including Tazuna.

Sakura sighed deeply as she looked at Naruto, '_Is this really Naruto? I can't believe that he killed those people and that he is this strong…'_

'_They haven't even seen the half of it…there's no telling what they'll think of me when I unveil my other jutsus…or my ace Rasengan._' Naruto thought.

"**That's not even your worst secret…"** a demonic voice rang though Naruto's head. The genin recognized the evil voice as his imprisoned bijou, Kyuubi.

Naruto learned about the fox's existence completely by accident, but after it happened, he couldn't shut the fox's voice out of his head. It's true what they say…Once you open some doors you can never close them.

That was definitely the case with Kyuubi. Naruto remembered back to the fateful night that he discovered the fox's existence.

_**(Flashback)**_

_A ten year old Naruto was coming home from a long day of training with Jiraiya. He was feeling very sick as he collapsed on top of his bed. The blonde had been terribly ill for the past few days and he did not know why._

_Jiraiya believed that despite Naruto's fever, he was still capable of basic training exercises. Naruto wasn't thrilled about it, but nevertheless he did so. Although tonight, the jinchuuriki was hearing voices in his head. _

_Due to his very small crowd of trusted people, Naruto decided it was best to conceal this secret from all around him. For some reason, he didn't trust anybody enough to tell them about the dark voices in his head._

"_I've got to tell Jiraiya…" Naruto said aloud to himself as he stared at the ceiling worried. A shrieking dark chuckle echoed throughout his mind upon speaking._

"_**You can't trust the old man with your secrets…he'll just shun you like all the rest. I am the only one you should listen to!" **__a terrifying demonic voice growled. Naruto cowered fearfully upon hearing the voice and grabbed his ears closing his eyes horrified, "NO! GO AWAY! I won't listen to you!"_

"_**You are a fearful and wretched thing. Your fear is pitiful and pathetic!" **__The voice shouted back. Naruto flailed wildly on his bed in a terrified manner trying to tune out the voice._

"_Please…just leave me alone! I won't do what you say!" Naruto said desperately. __**"I have all the answers you seek…I know what it is you desire kit. You wish to become powerful? Listen to me and you shall see that desire fulfilled!"**_

"_What…what are you? Just some kind of monster in my head?" Naruto asked weakly as he curled up on his bed. _

"_**I am your savior mortal…would you agree to meet with me face to face? I'm certain I can eradicate all of your doubts."**_

_Naruto rocked back and forth in his bed fearfully as he tuned out the ranting of the demonic voice. This continued for a little bit until he fell asleep. _

_Upon waking, Naruto found himself in ankle deep water in a massive dark hallway. "Hello?" Naruto yelled confused as he looked around. _

"_Where the hell am I?" Naruto asked himself aloud as he wandered down the damp hallway. He heard the sound of scraping and dripping water and decided to follow the noise. _

_He continued through the maze like hallway until finally reaching __a large open room. Naruto walked into it and looked around for the noise he had heard until he noticed a gigantic cage with a seal on it._

_Naruto stared at the cage for a moment confused until realization struck him, "This is….where the voice lives? Is this my mind?"_

"_**Correct, I decided that it was time for us to meet face to face so you would finally get over your fear of me." **__A massive pair of glowing red eyes shined through the cage revealing the silhouette of a giant beast within._

_Naruto trembled fearfully at the eyes and spoke up nervously, "What is it that you want from me?"_

_**It's not what I want…it's what you want. I have watched the past ten years of your pathetic life and I've gotta say that you are unworthy of being alive…let alone the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko!"**_

_You're…Kyuubi?" Naruto shouted in disbelief. A dark laugh echoed throughout the room upon hearing Naruto's question. The demon smashed its head against the bars of the cage and roared loudly, __**"I AM KYUUBI! I am trapped inside of your body!"**_

_Naruto fell to his knees terrified at the fox's voice. He stared into the blood red eyes of the fox petrified._

"_**Look at you…cowering before me like you're nothing."**_

_Naruto couldn't find the words to respond to the nine tailed fox as he continued to stare at him. Kyuubi and Naruto stared at each other for what appeared to be hours until finally the fox sighed, __**"You're probably too young to fully understand what I am saying…"**_

_The blonde finally found his voice and spoke up, "What must I do to become worthy then?"_

"_**If you truly wish to become powerful, you must become fearless…you must become stoic…you must become worthy of being my host! Now stand up!"**_

_Naruto did as he was commanded and he stood up. The fox smiled behind the cage at the boy as he continued, __**"Good…now walk towards the cage."**_

_Naruto walked to the very edges of the fox's massive cage just outside of the bars. He stood in front of it nervously as he saw the red eyes on the other side._

"_**Come to me, kit…you must learn a valuable lesson," **__The fox said in an almost sincere tone._

_Naruto felt his heart pump insanely fast as he passed through the massive bars of the cage. He walked closer towards the silhouette of the massive fox. The boy felt every hair on the back of his neck stand up as he slowly approached Kyuubi._

_The fox made no sudden movements and patiently waited for the blonde to reach him. As Naruto finally reached Kyuubi, the fox lowered his head until it was directly in front of the boy._

"_**See me for what I am…feel my power flowing around you." **__Naruto looked around curiously as a large amount of red chakra surrounded him and Kyuubi. "How did this happen? What are you doing inside of me? I thought Yondaime defeated you?"_

"_**No…unlike the rest of his village, your Hokage understood what I am and what I am capable of. Although, I find it ironic that he would seal me inside of you."**__ The fox spoke casually as he sat down in front of Naruto._

"_I don't understand…why is that ironic?" Naruto asked confused. _

_The fox shook his head and chuckled, __**"Despite his so called heroic actions, your Hokage was a very dark person…creating a jinchuuriki is considered one of the ultimate worldly sins. He turned you into a weapon to protect his little village."**_

"_Yondaime is a hero…why would he do that? And why me?" Naruto asked sadly._

_The red chakra surrounding Naruto and Kyuubi was getting a lot closer now. Naruto didn't take notice however as he stared at the fox awaiting a response._

"_**It's not my place to tell you why…you wouldn't be able to handle the truth. You're an abomination and my prison."**_

"_Is that why everybody hates me?"__Naruto asked sadly._

"_**They see me when they see you. You will never change that! However, consider yourself blessed that you will never blend in with their weakness. Embrace what you are and let it make you stronger!"**_

_Naruto felt tears began to fall upon hearing the harsh words of the fox. The Kyuubi had no empathy upon seeing Naruto's tears and growled, __**"This will hurt a lot…but in the end you'll thank me for it!"**_

_Red chakra completely enveloped Naruto and consumed his senses. He screamed in pure agony as his vision went completely red._

_He woke up screaming and saw his entire body glowing with blood red chakra. Naruto looked at his hands and cried out in agony as they stung painfully._

_His entire body burned as if it was on fire causing the boy to fall off of his bed and land on the floor. He rolled around in pain as the red chakra began to amplify._

_Naruto heard Kyuubi's voice laughing inside of his head as he flailed on the ground, __**"Lesson number one…Pain! It shall remove your fears and replace it with anger."**_

'_I don't want this…I don't want you!' Naruto inwardly yelled at the beast. _

"_**That's too damn bad! Your suffering will make you powerful!"**_

_**(END FLASHBACK)**_

It was a very gruesome memory the blonde boy had. It was over two years ago, but he still remembered the searing pain his body felt for weeks afterwards. Although true to his word, Kyuubi's chakra did pay off for Naruto.

The jinchuuriki felt his chakra pools deepen dramatically, and the fox's chakra completely intertwined with his own. That allowed Naruto to draw upon Kyuubi's power whenever he needed it. Although Naruto had never dared to use it, remembering the pain he suffered from it.

Naruto reluctantly kept his encounter with Kyuubi a complete secret from everybody. Although, Jiraiya did notice a significant change in the boy when he was able to master new jutsus much faster due to his ability to mass produce shadow clones and practice.

'_Even Jiraiya probably doesn't know my full strength…_' Naruto thought to himself.

"Are you okay Naruto?" Sakura asked worried as she put a hand on the blonde's shoulder. Naruto looked at the pink haired girl and smiled, "Of course Sakura-chan! I was just thinking."

"What were you thinking about?" Sakura pestered as she got closer to the blonde. He looked at her curiously and raised a brow as she smiled at him.

"Nothing important…" Naruto sighed.

"C'mon Naruto! Why all the secrets? You can't honestly expect me to go out with a guy who refuses to open up at all," Sakura whined.

"Leave him alone harpy…" Sasuke cut in dryly. The pink girl glared at Sasuke angrily and stuck her tongue out at the Uchiha, "You don't own him! Let him speak for himself!"

Kakashi sighed as he looked back at the two girls. Tazuna looked over towards Kakashi and whispered, "What is up with these girls of yours?"

The copy nin shrugged as he looked back at the two girls standing on either side of Naruto, "I don't know…"

"So where to now?" Naruto asked as he looked over towards Tazuna.

"Now kid…we're going to go see my family before I have another near death experience. It's not that far from here," Tazuna answered cheerfully.

Naruto smiled and replied, "Lead the way!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Upon finally reaching Tazuna's house, team seven was greeted warmly by a woman standing at the doorway, "Father, I'm glad to see you're okay. With all the sightings of missing nin lately, I had assumed the worst."

Tazuna ran up and hugged the woman tightly, "It is good to see you safe Tsunami. Without the help of these brave Konoha ninjas I would be dead right now."

Suddenly, a little boy ran out of the house and tackled the old man's leg hugging him fiercely, "Grandpa!"

"Inari…good to see you my boy," Tazuna said with a smile.

Tsunami examined the Konoha nin and looked over towards Tazuna, "Are we having guests tonight father?"

The man nodded his head, "These people have already saved my life twice. They are welcome here."

Tsunami smiled at Team Seven and invited them inside of the house, "Come in you brave souls. I was just in the middle of cooking dinner…you can go unwind in the guest bedrooms if you want."

"Thank you Tsunami-san for inviting us into your home," Sakura said warmly. "We sincerely appreciate it, thanks," Naruto added as he sat down.

Sasuke and Kakashi silently nodded at the woman as the group all sat down around the main room.

Tazuna took a seat next to Naruto and Kakashi as his daughter cooked dinner a short distance away. "Wow…I gotta say that you Konoha types are alright," Tazuna remarked.

"We try to live up to the expectations that our Hokage demands," Kakashi replied.

Tazuna looked over at his daughter in the kitchen and chuckled, "Tsunami, you're never going to believe it, but we have a celebrity in our house!"

The woman looked curiously at her father as he pointed at Kakashi. The masked jounin modestly chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head, "Well, I am not that famous…"

"This is the copy nin Kakashi and his three students!" Tazuna remarked.

Tsunami looked impressed, "Copy-nin Kakashi? I've heard about you…aren't you the son of white fang?"

Kakashi had a straight emotionless look on his face. His silence left an uneasy tension in the air. After a long awkward silence, Tazuna spoke up again, "So anyways, you and Inari should hear about what these guys did to protect me."

Inari sat right next to his grandpa and was glaring at the Konoha shinobi.

Tsunami looked at her son and sternly spoke, "It's rude to stare son…these people are ninjas. They saved your grandfather from the bad men."

The child silently continued to stare. Tazuna took a deep breath and began to speak again, "So anyways, the first time they saved me is when these two scary guys with chains and gauntlets came out of a puddle in the road. I thought I was done for but then these kids actually saved me. Then they fought off Zabuza the Demon of the Mist!"

Inari looked skeptically at the two girls and Naruto and shouted, "No way! That's a lie grandpa!"

"He's not lying kid…I killed two of them," Naruto said darkly.

Everybody looked concerned at Naruto's change of tone. "How could you do that! That makes you no better than the bad men!" Inari shouted at Naruto.

The blonde sighed deeply and shook his head, "No, it wasn't like that…I need some air."

Without another word, Naruto got up and left the building. Tazuna shook his head at the sight and sighed, "That boy is really something else, Kakashi-san…does he normally act like this?"

Kakashi shook his head, "No…Naruto is normally optimistic and cheerful. I guess killing those assassins affected him more than he would probably admit."

"I'll go check on him…" Sasuke said as she immediately got up and left. "Like hell you will! I'm coming too!" Sakura yelled. The Uchiha girl shrugged, "Whatever…"

As the two genin left the house, Tsunami spoke up fearfully, "It's getting late…are you sure those three will okay by themselves out there?"

"Tsunami, relax…those kids are official ninja, they'll be fine," Tazuna said.

The woman sat down at the table and looked over at Kakashi's distant face, "What is troubling you Kakashi-kun?"

The masked man lazily looked over towards the woman and sighed, "I got captured earlier by Zabuza in a water prison…I would have been dead if it wasn't for my students."

Tsunami looked shocked, "No way, it's hard to imagine somebody as powerful as you getting captured."

Kakashi nodded his head, "Yes…I didn't see it coming and he trapped me. If I was assigned to a regular group of genin then we would all be dead right now."

"Don't beat yourself Kakashi-kun…I'm sure you taught them well," Tsunami commented optimistically. Kakashi looked down shamefully and sighed, "I haven't really taught them anything…they are all products of different teachings."

Tazuna nodded his head and elaborated, "The blonde boy was special trained by one of the sannin! He said so himself!"

"Really now?" Tsunami asked impressed. Inari looked confused, "What's a sannin mommy?"

Kakashi answered the boy, "The sannin are the three legendary pupils of Hiruzen Sarutobi…they are all renown for being extremely powerful and for their special summons."

"That's amazing!" Tsunami said, "Maybe it's a miracle that delivered heroes such as yourselves to our village in this time of desperate need."

Inari got angry upon hearing his mother's comment and ran out the door.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto was wandering through the run down village. He saw children on the streets and looked away painfully as brief flashes of his past came into his head.

The jinchuuriki's mind wandered to the two chunin he killed several days ago. Their deaths were necessary, but for some reason, Naruto felt extremely guilty about killing them. Of course his guilt didn't go unnoticed. Nothing he ever went unnoticed by Kyuubi.

"**Why are you moping over this bullshit? Get over yourself kit!"**

'_I killed those men…they may have deserved to die, but am I any better by killing them?' _Naruto asked the demon fox.

The fox sighed at his question and replied, **"This is the truth…only the strongest survive. You don't need to repress this! Take in everything you see…everything you do! The truth is an ugly beast lurking beneath the surface of a intricately spun web of lies."**

'_The beast is brutal and terrifying just like the truth…but to understand the beast is to master it.' _Naruto finished.

The fox chuckled at Naruto's words, **"I'm glad to see that some of my lessons have stuck with you…but are you just speaking the words or do you truly understand them?"**

Naruto remained silent for a moment before replying, '_Why should words matter anyways? I killed those two guys…that makes me just as wrong as they are! What's to stop me from becoming bad?_'

The Kyuubi huffed in irritation at the boy, **"You need to understand the truth of the world. 'Good' and 'evil' are nonexistent. Killing isn't wrong…it is necessary to survive. I'll leave you alone with that thought…never forget it!"**

Naruto wandered all the way through the village and was now in the woods. He looked around curiously, '_I guess I lost track of where I was going…better turn back now._'

Naruto sighed as he looked around. The forest was dead silent…he remembered an important lesson Asuma had told him. When the forest was silent, it was trying to warn you.

The blonde immediately pulled out his trench knives and yelled loudly, "Don't even think that you can ambush me!"

Upon hearing the boy's comment, a large group of bandits leapt from the bushes and trees surrounding Naruto. The all laughed at the sight of the blonde.

"Hey what do we have here? A kid wandering in the forest all by himself at night?" A random bandit laughed.

"**Killing people is unavoidable if you're going to be a strong ninja…wipe these fools out now!" **The bijou ordered fiercely.

Naruto channeled wind chakra over trench knives and coldly looked over the group of bandits before him. They all looked shocked at the sight of Naruto's blades glowing blue.

Then all of a sudden, the boy's entire body glowed blue as he walked towards the bandits, "Don't make me kill you…"

The bandits looked horrified at the sight, but nevertheless began to charge the boy. He parried and dodged all of their clumsy attacks effortlessly.

"This is your final warning…leave now or you will all die," Naruto said.

"**This is your final warning…leave now or you will all die,"**

Naruto would occasionally say things in sync with Kyuubi. It was a nasty side effect. He felt subtle influences of the demon fox constantly eating away at his every waking thought.

His demonic voice terrified the bandits as they backed away. Naruto's eyes then turned red as he calmly walked closer.

"By the gods! He's a monster!" One man shouted as the bandits began to scramble running away horrified.

Most of them escaped, but one man was unlucky as Naruto imbedded him against a tree with his trench knives. The man's shirt was sticking to the side of a tree and looked worried as Naruto inched closer towards him.

"Tell me who your leader is…and where is your hideout?" Naruto demanded in his normal voice.

The bandit shook in terror as the blonde's red eyes stared into his own.

"Answer me!" Naruto shouted. Without wasting another second, the man did as commanded, "O-Our…b-b-base is on the northern-eastern end of the island in the ruins of the whirlpool village."

"You're going to take me there right now!" Naruto shouted at the man. The man began to burst into tears and shook his head, "They'll kill me though…"

Naruto looked at him and sighed, "I won't let them kill you…just show me where this base is."

His change in tone caused the man to settle down and relax. He reluctantly nodded his head, "I'll…I'll show you where it is. But I am not going inside. They'll kill me on sight when they find out I brought you there."

"Then we don't have a lot of time for you to complain now do we?" Naruto asked.

The man sighed deeply, "You must be one of those Konoha shinobi we keep hearing about…Zabuza-sama said that the Copy-nin Kakashi was here with a genin team. Are you sure you want to go there alone?"

Naruto shrugged as pulled his knives from the man's clothes, "I'll be fine…take me there immediately before your superiors have time to find out."

The man fearfully obeyed the blonde and began to lead him towards the base.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke and Sakura walked back into the house and shook their heads simultaneously at Kakashi, "There's no sign of Naruto, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said worried.

Sasuke nodded in agreement, "We were able to identify several sightings of him, but the villagers here refused to say anything beyond the fact that they saw him."

Kakashi shook his head worried, "It has been four hours…what could have happened to him?"

All of a sudden, Inari ran into the house and shouted, "I heard some bad men talking! They said they saw a demon with red eyes in the forest!"

Everybody in the room looked confused at the boy's comment. Kakashi immediately understood what that meant, '_That must be Naruto…what if his seal broke?._'

Kakashi looked at his two pupils and sighed, "You two must stay here and protect Tazuna at all costs…his survival is the primary objective of this mission. I'm going to go find Naruto and investigate this so called demon. Please stay here you two," Kakashi spoke urgently.

Sasuke nodded in response, "We'll stay and watch them, Kakashi-sensei…please be quick and find Naruto."

Kakashi immediately left the two genin alone in the house with Tazuna and his family.

"What if he was kidnapped?" Sakura shouted worried. Sasuke looked somewhat amused at the concept and shook her head, "No…it seems more likely that Naruto went on a recon mission."

"Kakashi-kun looked pretty worried…" Tsunami commented as she shook her head concerned.

Sasuke sighed as she leaned against a wall, '_I can't believe I am stuck baby sitting Barbie ninja and this family of whiners. I should be out there looking for Naruto…or helping him._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Meanwhile, Naruto and his hostage had finally reached the entrance to the bandit base. Naruto looked at him and asked, "So who can I expect to find inside?"

"Gato was here recently, but this area is mostly where Zabuza-sama resides," The man said fearfully.

"You said this used to be a village?" Naruto asked.

The bandit nodded in response, "This is the remains of Uzushiogakure…a large portion of the village was burned down, but this area is the main stronghold that used to belong to the Uzumaki Clan."

'_Uzumaki Clan? Am I related to these people? No way…_' Naruto thought as he examined the area.

"You're free to go…I suggest you move to Konoha and become a carpenter or something. You won't want to be a bandit anymore," Naruto spoke darkly.

"Are you bipolar kid? One moment you're evil and the next you're nice…then you're evil again." The bandit asked.

Naruto didn't bother responding as he casually walked towards the semi-demolished remains of the Uzumaki Compound. Upon entering the building, he noticed a large amount of intricate artwork hanging on the walls.

On the far wall, a massive painting hung of a red haired woman.

The room was very dusty, but Naruto was able to make out the name inscribed on a plate below the portrait, '_Mito Uzumaki…founder of the Uzumaki Clan and wife of the First Hokage._'

Naruto looked at the portrait awestruck for a moment until realization hit him, '_No way! that would mean…I'm related to the first and second Hokages!_'

Naruto looked at the portrait proudly examining the woman with pride, '_Wow…her hair is really red._'

"**I remember her…" **Kyuubi said distantly. Naruto didn't bother asking the fox how, because most of the time Kyuubi refused to tell him anything.

Naruto began to examine the room thoroughly and saw a staircase on the far wall leading downstairs. The blonde followed it cautiously as he looked around for guards.

Much to his surprise, the place was fairly empty. As he got deeper underground, he noticed several bandits and decided to follow them. He expertly trailed behind the clumsy bandits following them through the maze like basement of the compound.

Finally, they reached an open room with a window overlooking the coast of the island. Naruto carefully peeked around the corner and saw Zabuza lying on a bed with his sword in his hand. Next to him was a pale but pretty caramel eyed girl with long dark flowing hair. (**AN**. Haku is a girl damn it!)

Naruto watched the scene unfold interested. The bandits walked over towards Zabuza and spoke up, "Z-Zabuza-sama…there was this demon in the woods and it nearly killed us!"

The swordsman looked at the man without an ounce of pity and laughed, "Why are you telling me? That's none of my concern…"

Another bandit interrupted the swordsman, "You don't understand Zabuza-sama! It was this blonde kid with a Konoha headband…he was all glowing and spoke in an evil voice!"

Zabuza looked annoyed, "Did you just interrupt me? I don't like it when useless bandits interrupt me!" The swordsman stood up and grabbed said bandit by his throat slamming him against the wall.

The others got on there knees and cowered fearfully as the swordsman shook his head without remorse, "You stupid idiots…you could have led him here!"

Upon hearing that comment, Naruto instantly snuck away from the door and further down the hall. He looked around the corner and saw the three bandits running away in fear as Zabuza and Haku came out of the room.

Naruto hid in a nearby empty room and watched the missing nin walk upstairs. '_This is my chance to check that room for anything relevant…_' Naruto thought as he silently crept around the corner and snuck into Zabuza's room.

He didn't notice anything out of the ordinary about the room other than a massive vault on the far wall. The door to the vault was open and inside Naruto saw a lot of expensive looking things. Although one thing in particular caught his eye and that was a scroll.

The blonde picked it up opened it briefly reading the contents, '_Uzumaki Bloodlines…holy shit! I am so keeping this._'

Naruto quickly looked around for anything else of interest, but all of a sudden, he heard a shriek from behind. He turned around and charged towards the source with his blades drawn. He saw a random bandit looking at him horrified.

"**You can't take chances with this guy…throw him out the window!"**

Naruto did as the fox commanded and kicked the bandit out of the massive window. Afterwards, he leapt out himself and climbed to the roof of the compound. '_I better get out of here before Zabuza shows up again…_' Naruto thought desperately as he ran away.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kakashi was following a trail left by several bandits. As he ran swiftly along, a flash of yellow suddenly caught his eye as he saw Naruto dashing towards him from the side, "Kakashi-sensei, there you are! I found out where Zabuza's base is!"

The jounin stopped in his tracks as he examined the blonde. He looked closely for anything out of the ordinary, but didn't identify any signs of battle or injury. Kakashi took a deep breath and shook his head, "You had everyone worried…what were you thinking wandering off on a midnight recon mission?"

"Yeah it's pretty dangerous out here…" Naruto commented. Kakashi looked at the blonde curiously, "Why were you out looking for Zabuza's base anyways? Our priority is not to kill him, but to protect Tazuna until the bridge is built."

"Well I got attacked by a bunch of bandits and I figured it would be a good chance to find out where the enemy is coming from…" Naruto answered.

"I didn't realize that you were part of Anbu…" Kakashi joked as he shook his head.

"I'm not though," The blonde replied. Kakashi nodded and laughed, "It was a joke, Naruto…anyways, what did you find out about their base?"

Before Naruto could answer, Kyuubi spoke up, **"Don't tell him…he'll take that scroll away from you."**

'_What are you talking about? Kakashi-sensei is trustworthy!' _Naruto inwardly responded.

After a few moments Naruto answered, "I found this strange compound in the ruins near the north eastern part of the island. The bandit who brought me there said it used to be part of the Whirlpool Village."

Kakashi thought for a moment, '_No…he can't learn about his clan…that's only asking for trouble._'

"Did you go inside?" Kakashi asked slightly worried. Naruto nodded his head honestly, "Yes…I wasn't there for long though."

'_Maybe he didn't find out…I can't let him go anywhere near that place again_,' Kakashi thought desperately.

"Something wrong, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto I don't want you going anywhere near that place again…do you understand?" Kakashi asked completely serious.

Naruto looked at him curiously, "Why though? Now we can take the fight to Zabuza and don't have to wait around for him to attack us again."

"Just please don't do it, Naruto…that place is very dangerous," Kakashi said.

'_Is he trying to keep me from finding out about my clan?_' Naruto wondered.

After a moment, he nodded respectfully, "Okay, Kakashi-sensei…I won't go near it anymore."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When Kakashi and Naruto finally walked through the door of Tazuna's House, everybody got excited. "Naruto! You idiot! What in the world were you thinking wandering off by yourself all night!" Sakura shouted.

Sasuke stepped in front of the boy and had a coy smile on her face, "Did you have a nice walk?"

"The three of you should get some sleep now…I'll stay up and watch the house," Kakashi said.

Naruto yawned in agreement, "I guess I didn't realize how tired I was. Goodnight everybody," Naruto said as he walked upstairs and headed to his room.

Tsunami looked concerned at the boy's attitude, "Are you sure he's okay, Kakashi-kun?"

Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna all eyed the jounin awaiting his response.

"Naruto's just tired…you can ask him about his little walk tomorrow if you want. Sasuke, Sakura, I recommend you two go and get some sleep as well."

Sakura nodded at the masked man and headed upstairs. Sakura hated to admit it, but She was genuinely concerned for Naruto at the moment, '_He's gone all night…then he comes back with Kakashi and pretends like nothing happened. Maybe there's something going on_?'

Sasuke looked at the copy nin and shook her head, "You seem a bit concerned Kakashi-sensei."

The masked jounin instantly returned to his usual lazy look and shrugged, "Not anymore…anyways from here on out I want the three of you to keep a close watch on each other. I don't want any of you wandering around by yourselves out here."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Meanwhile, Naruto was reading the scroll he stole up in his room. It was very elaborate showing how to perform Uzumaki bloodline jutsus.

'_Lava and Steam Release…how does this work exactly_?' Naruto thought to himself. The jinchuuriki didn't bother going to sleep as he read over the contents of the scroll:

_To perform the Lava and Steam Release Bloodlines, one must be related to the Uzumaki Clan. Lava is created by combining earth and fire elements. Steam is created from the combination of Fire and Water._

Naruto shook his head in confusion, '_What the hell? I thought that a ninja could only have two elemental affinities…Jiraiya-sensei said so himself! How in the world am I going to do this?_'

Naruto had no clue how to combine elements and closed the scroll frustrated, '_I'm gonna need some time to figure out how this works…_' The blonde proceeded to conceal his scroll and lie back down on his bed. Suddenly, he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he said casually as he stared at the ceiling. Entering the room, was none other than Kakashi. He walked over towards Naruto and crossed his arms, "I was just checking on you…do you want to talk about earlier?"

"I'm just not feeling well after that encounter with those guys I killed," Naruto admitted. Kakashi looked empathetically at the genin and sighed, "I understand the feeling…still though you shouldn't let stuff like that consume you. What's done is done."

Naruto glanced at Kakashi sadly and asked, "Well what's to stop me from becoming like them? I don't want to be a killer."

The masked nin thought for a moment and sat down on Naruto's bed next to him.

"Naruto, things like that will happen from time to time. As long as you have a noble purpose such as protecting someone or something important to you, then you'll retain your humanity," Kakashi said sincerely.

Naruto felt a lot better after hearing his sensei's words. He smiled at the man and spoke up, "Thanks, Kakashi-sensei…I'll remember that."

The jounin nodded as he got up and made his way out of Naruto's room, "Goodnight, Naruto."

As he closed the door, Kakashi shook his head sadly, '_Minato-sensei…I really wish you were here._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next day, Naruto was the first person awake. He didn't get much sleep as usual and decided to go out for some air. As he walked outside, he heard a familiar voice, "Going out for a walk, Naruto?"

He turned towards the source and saw Sasuke leaning against the wall.

"You're up pretty early Sasuke…" the blonde noted as he walked over towards the girl. She eyed him curiously and crossed her arms, "Mind if I go with you?"

"Well…I…" Naruto began.

Sasuke interrupted him, "Good, let's go right now before the others wake up."

Naruto reluctantly nodded his head as he and Sasuke began to go on a walk. They headed through the village and towards the bridge. Naruto sighed inwardly, '_How am I going to practice this scroll if Sasuke trails me all day?_'

The Uchiha girl kept glancing over at Naruto and stared at him. He would occasionally catch her doing so causing the girl to look away. This continued for a while until they reached the bridge. "Naruto…how did you end up as Jiraiya's apprentice?"

The blonde looked over at the raven haired girl and shrugged, "It was strange…he just found me one day on top of the Hokage heads. I don't really know how it happened."

"You're a great big puzzle to me Naruto…the more I try to solve you the more complex you become," Sasuke sighed as she looked at the ground.

Naruto stopped in his tracks and looked over the side of the bridge. He exhaled deeply as he looked over towards the Uchiha girl, "Ever since we've become team mates, you have been a lot nicer to me…why?"

Sasuke remained quiet as she walked over towards the boy. Naruto eyed her curiously awaiting a response.

'_This is my chance…maybe I should tell him. No! I won't let myself become weak…what would Itachi say?_'

After a long awkward silence the Uchiha girl spoke, "Don't go off thinking anything Uzumaki…you and I are rivals. I only pay you respect because I know you're strong."

Naruto looked put off by her comment, "Oh…I thought we were becoming friends or something. Guess I was wrong. If you hate me so much then why did you want to go on a walk with me?"

"You were wrong…we're just squad mates and nothing more! Stop trying to be my friend!" Sasuke shouted coldly. Naruto sighed as he began to walk away, "Fine…have it your way Sasuke."

'_What the hell was I thinking? I can't let myself get all worked up over some boy…I have to become powerful so that I can kill Itachi and avenge my clan!_' Sasuke thought angrily.

The raven haired girl watched the sun rising in the distance and sighed, '_Damn it! What the hell did I just do…now he's going to hate me forever._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

True to his word, Naruto didn't go near the Uzumaki Compound again. He knew that Kakashi didn't want him to find out about his clan, but he didn't know why.

The next week was very boring for Team Seven as they guarded Tazuna and his workers who were building the bridge.

There was an occasional bandit group that would come by and threaten its production, but they immediately fled at the sight of Kakashi.

The bridge was nearing completion way ahead of schedule due to Naruto's army of shadow clones. His team was completely surprised by it. Sakura in general was completely blown away saying that his chakra levels had to be enormous.

"This is amazing…at this rate the bridge should be finished by tomorrow!" Tazuna cheered. The old man had taken a great liking towards Naruto. The boy's invaluable assistance in building the bridge greatly affected the morale of Tazuna's workers.

This optimism was contagious as it gave the village a feeling of hope.

"This is going great Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura cheered as she sat down next to the real Naruto. The masked man lazily looked up from his book and nodded, "You're right…although I am honestly surprised that Zabuza hasn't shown up again."

"He'll be here…" Naruto said as he stretched.

Everybody around him looked oddly at the boy. "What makes you say that?" Sakura asked. The jinchuuriki shrugged in response, "Normally when things start going super well, something bad happens to mess it all up."

Kakashi looked at the blonde and sighed, '_He's not just talking about the bridge…it must be Sasuke. The two of them haven't said a word to each other in days._'

"You worry too much kid, this feels like one of those days where absolutely nothing could go wrong!" Tazuna cheered.

As if inviting trouble, a heavy shroud of mist began to cover the bridge. Everybody looked around curiously at the sight.

"What in the world? Why is it misty? I thought today was going to be sunny…" Tazuna said clueless.

Kakashi looked around alertly and looked at Naruto, "Dispel those clones…we've got company."

Naruto did as commanded. He felt the familiar overwhelming surge of drowsiness hit him upon doing so, but nevertheless regained his composure.

Sasuke walked over towards the group and refused to look at Naruto as she spoke, "Kakashi-sensei…is it Zabuza?"

The masked man nodded his head, "Yes…it has to be."

Tazuna looked worried, "Why did I have go and jinx this perfect day?"

The workers instantly fled as they saw a figure wearing a black outfit with a massive sword walking across the bridge. It was hard to spot him, but through the mist, Kakashi recognized Zabuza.

The swordsman drew his massive blade as he approached and grinned, "Good to see you again, copy-nin Kakashi."

"You won't be getting away this time," Kakashi stated seriously. Zabuza laughed at the masked man and shook his head, "You Konoha ninja are pretty damn arrogant! By the way which one of you fuckers broke into my base?"

Zabuza looked over the group for Naruto and spotted him in the back. The two briefly made eye contact. Zabuza saw the blonde burst into a grin, "You and your pathetic squad of kids are going to die Kakashi!"

"That's where you're wrong…this time I am not going to hold back against you," Kakashi said as he lifted his headband revealing his Sharingan eye.

Zabuza laughed as another figure appeared next to him, "This time I'm not alone…let's see how well your dream team kids can handle Haku!"

Haku immediately threw a large number of senbon needles towards Naruto. The blonde deflected and dodged most of them and began to back away as Haku charged towards him.

Kakashi looked over at Sasuke, "Help Naruto out! I can handle Zabuza!" The Uchiha nodded and ran after them.

"Sakura guard Tazuna with your life!" Kakashi ordered. The pink haired girl nodded her head as she stepped in front of Tazuna.

"Now it's just you and me Kakashi!" Zabuza laughed as he drew his sword and looked at the masked man fiercely. Zabuza immediately leapt towards the jounin and smashed his blade towards him.

Kakashi managed to evade the overhead smash and ducked as Zabuza spun his blade around. Kakashi stabbed his kunai towards the swordsman but was unsuccessful as Zabuza kicked his arm.

The swordsman did a back hand spring and laughed at Kakashi, "Come on copy-nin…I thought that Sharingan of yours was super powerful?"

Kakashi had trouble finding Zabuza in the shroud of mist. He looked over towards Sakura and Tazuna worried as he saw Zabuza charging the pink haired girl.

Sakura fearfully awaited the attack but was relieved as Kakashi kicked Zabuza's wrist knocking his sword a considerable distance away. He barely had time to dodge a hail of shuriken from Kakashi as he ran to retrieve his sword.

As he got to it, he saw Kakashi pick the blade up and throw it over the edge of the bridge. Zabuza looked pissed upon seeing his sword fly over the edge and dove after it.

Meanwhile with Haku, Naruto, Sasuke, the two genin were parrying ice needles from random directions in the misty battleground.

Naruto had his trench knives drawn and dove towards random directions searching for Haku. He remained close to Sasuke and covered the Uchiha's flanks from a majority of the attacks. Suddenly, a large dome of ice mirrors surrounded the two genin as they looked around confused.

Haku appeared in every single one of them and began to launch a barrage of ice needles from all directions towards the two. Sasuke went through the customary hand seals and shouted, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)

The large fireball enveloped the needles in all directions and scorched several of Haku's ice mirrors. Unfortunately, the fire was not effective against Haku's mirrors as they solidified again.

Then suddenly, Haku fired another barrage of ice needles and leapt from an adjacent mirror and fired a lance of ice towards the blonde. Naruto went through several hand seals to counter the projectiles, "Fūton: Daitoppa!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)

Unfortunately for Naruto, he didn't notice the ice lance and got impaled in the back by it causing him to fall down in pain. Sasuke looked at Naruto worried as the boy fell to the ground. She launched another fireball to scorch Haku's attacks and knelt down beside him, "Don't die Naruto! Stand up!"

The Uchiha girl suddenly got angry as Naruto coughed up blood. She stood up angrily and her eyes began to turn red unveiling her Sharingan.

Haku was surprised by this was shocked to see the Uchiha's movement speed up drastically as she dodged all of the ice needles.

Sasuke drew a fuma shuriken and threw it at a nearby mirror cracking its surface. She then fired another fireball towards the cracked mirror and leapt towards it shattering the mirror completely. Haku was unable to stop Sasuke as she repeated this process opening a hold in Haku's attack range.

Naruto managed to stand up and looked around for Haku, but was surprised as the girl appeared behind him holding a senbon needle over his neck.

"Back away or your friend dies…" Haku said as she walked towards Sasuke. The Uchiha reluctantly did so and watched in shock as Haku stuck the needle into Naruto's back and pushed him off the side of the bridge.

Sasuke immediately took the opportunity to charge the girl, but was blocked as Haku created an ice mirror. Then, there was dead silence as the raven haired girl looked around for Haku.

She cautiously eyed the surrounding area until Kakashi appeared next to her. The copy nin looked at the Uchiha girl and asked, "Where is Naruto? Where is Zabuza's companion?"

The Uchiha looked around angrily, "Naruto is in the water! He's in trouble!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Underneath the bridge, Zabuza was just resurfacing with his sword in hand. He saw Naruto falling over the edge of the bridge but was surprised as the genin landed on the water. He looked towards the blonde and laughed as Naruto spotted him.

"Which one of you Konoha bitches broke into my vault and stole my scroll!" Zabuza demanded as he glared at the blonde. Naruto pulled the senbon needle out of his back and laughed, "You mean the scroll I stole?"

Zabuza looked dumbfounded, "How did a kid like you break into my room?"

"It must be an Uzumaki trait or something…that scroll rightfully belongs to me," Naruto answered.

"Like hell it does!" Zabuza shouted as he went through hand seals, "Suiton Suihashu!" (Water Wave Hand)

Naruto avoided the blast, but Zabuza continued to trail him with it. Thinking fast, he dove towards Zabuza and shouted, "Fūton: Daitoppa!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)

The pressure from Naruto's wind attack negated the water redirecting it back towards Zabuza. As Naruto landed next to the swordsman, he received a powerful kick to the face sending him flying.

The genin slid across the surface of the water but regained his footing in time to notice Zabuza preparing another attack, "Suiton Daibakufu no Jutsu!" (Grand Waterfall Technique)

Naruto was completely washed away by the attack and smashed against the side of one the bridge supports. Seizing this opportunity, Zabuza charged towards the blonde with his sword raised. As he brought it down full force, Kakashi managed to block it.

The swordsman looked angry and reared back for another swing. However before he could connect, Naruto hit him with an attack, "Suiton Suiryuuben!" (Water Dragon Whip)

A whirling sphere of water circled over Naruto's head. Kakashi copied Naruto's jutsu and did one himself. The two huge water spheres spun powerfully as they both lashed towards Zabuza. The swordsman high tailed it away from the two ninja and climbed up on the bridge again.

Kakashi looked at a panting Naruto and spoke urgently, "Go help Sasuke, I'll finish him off!"

The blonde nodded his head and made his way onto the bridge again. When Naruto got up there, he saw Haku firing a barrage of ice needles towards Tazuna. He saw Sasuke guarding Tazuna with an unconscious Sakura lying nearby imbedded with several ice needles.

Haku then surrounded Sasuke with a bunch of ice mirrors again. However, much to Sasuke's utter relief, Naruto and Kakashi smashed through two of them and guarded the Uchiha from the hail of ice.

Kakashi held his arm up and motioned for everybody to stand back as he went through more hand seals. His hand began to charge with lightning afterwards and he began to smash random mirrors.

Naruto and Sasuke helped him out by combining their wind and fire again. Finally, only one mirror remained. The blonde drew his trench knives and threw both full force smashing the mirror and blasting Haku out of it.

The mist began to clear as the last mirror was shattered, and team seven could see Zabuza standing in front of the defeated Haku.

"I've gotta hand it to you Kakashi…you sure did train these kids well. That blonde one in particular…I had no idea he was an Uzumaki," Zabuza stated.

"Why would that matter?" Sasuke asked as she looked at the blonde.

Zabuza shook his head and laughed, "Don't tell me you haven't heard about the Uzumaki Clan? They were…"

"ENOUGH! Let us end this!" Kakashi shouted as he charged a chidori in his hand.

Before anybody made another move, they all heard a loud laugh sounding from a distance. Everybody looked over to see Gato and a large group of thugs standing on the bridge.

"Looks like you failed Zabuza…I always knew you were worthless. I guess it was too much to hope for that you would all kill each other," the short man said.

Zabuza looked pissed, "Gato? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Hahaha, I was never going to pay you…and now that you've all weakened each other up, I can kill you all and destroy the production of this bridge!"

The swordsman did not look happy. He looked over towards Kakashi and sighed, "We're no longer enemies, Kakashi. I have no reason to fight you and your team any longer."

The swordsman drew his blade and walked towards Gato and his men with a terrifying glare, "You want to kill me? Come and try!"

The business man looked terrified as Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke followed him towards the group of bandits.

Naruto stood next to Zabuza and spoke up, "I hope some of you remember me!"

Several of the men recognized Naruto and looked terrified, "Oh by the gods! It's the demon kid!"

They barely had time to say anything else as Zabuza cleaved through waves of bandits with his sword. He killed a good majority of them as he made his way to Gato.

The crime lord was petrified as Zabuza impaled him against the side of the bridge with his massive sword.

"Nobody double crosses me!" Zabuza shouted angrily as he drew his sword and walked away from the man. The remaining bandits fled in fear upon seeing Gato die.

As the scene began to calm down, Zabuza walked back over towards Haku with a distant look on his face. He picked the girl up bridal style and examined her injuries.

'_Good…she's still alive,_' Zabuza sighed in relief.

Team seven walked behind the swordsman and eyed him curiously. He turned around with Haku in his arms and sighed, "You won't have to worry about us anymore…Haku and I are done with this place," Zabuza said.

Kakashi nodded his head and sighed, "This mission is off the record anyways…we never saw you,"

There was a brief silence before Tazuna looked at Kakashi curiously, "Are you going to let him go? He tried to kill us!"

"I'm just a mercenary…I could care less about your bridge or any of you," Zabuza responded distantly.

"This isn't right…that man is a criminal!" Tazuna shouted in disbelief.

"It was an honor meeting you copy-nin Kakashi…I hope I never see you again," Zabuza stated as he began to walk away. The masked jounin remained silent as he watched Zabuza walking into the distance. Tazuna shook his head at the man and sighed, "I hope you know what you're doing…"

"Well at least the bridge can be completed now…" Sasuke said as she looked around. Kakashi nodded and walked over towards the unconscious Sakura. He picked up the pink haired girl and looked around, "Naruto take Sakura back to Tazuna's house so she can recover."

"I'm going to spread the word to the townspeople that Gato is dead. We'll have this bridge finished by tomorrow!" Tazuna said cheerfully.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The following day was spent finishing the bridge up. Everybody in the small village decided to chip in and help Tazuna's workers and team seven due to the heroic actions they showed. Although Naruto's shadow clones were a significant part of the process.

Team Seven stood proudly next to Tazuna as he announced the bridge's completion to the town. Sakura, who had recovered from her recent injuries stood with her team.

"Good people, today we have finally completed the bridge! The criminal lord Gato is gone and all of the thugs have been run out of our town!" Tazuna announced cheerfully.

A loud chorus of cheers and whistles erupted after Tazuna's announcement.

He nodded proudly and held his hand up as he continued, "However, we would not have accomplished this outstanding feat without the help of these brave Konoha shinobi. Let there names be forever remembered as the heroes of Wave Country!"

Another explosion of cheers followed Tazuna's words as he held his arm out pointing towards the four Konoha ninjas.

"We owe our eternal gratitude towards the mighty Copy-nin Kakashi, the esteemed Sasuke Uchiha, the beautiful Sakura Haruno, and lastly to the boy who made the greatest contribution to the bridge's construction, Naruto Uzumaki!"

Applause followed the acknowledgement as the villagers began to chant, "Nar-u-to! Nar-u-to!"

Tazuna smiled as he continued, "To honor these brave defenders, I hereby name this the Great Naruto Bridge! Also the names of his great comrades shall forever be emblazoned below it!"

Naruto looked modest for once in his life. The boy wasn't used to massive acknowledgement or being a hero. '_He named the bridge after me?_' Naruto thought to himself as he felt his eyes water. He blinked away his tears and waved proudly towards the adoring crowd.

The rest of his team excluding Kakashi were surprised at the bridge's name. '_No way…a bridge named after Naruto?_' Sakura thought.

'_Better him than me…fame is an overrated double-edged sword_.' Sasuke thought as she eyed her blonde team mate.

Naruto noticed Sasuke looking at him and managed to catch her eye. The two genin held eye contact briefly until Sasuke looked away.

Naruto was slightly discouraged by Sasuke's attitude lately. He had really taken a liking to his new team mate, but her condescending behavior of not acknowledging him lately really took its toll. Not to mention he was still upset about the fight they had a week ago.

"Well, we need to return to Konoha," Kakashi announced as he motioned for his three pupils to follow him.

Everybody continued to applaud as the four ninjas took their leave. As they walked over the bridge, Tazuna and his family ran to catch up with them. The man panted as he handed a large black bag to Kakashi. The jounin eyed it curiously, "What's this?"

"Just a parting gift from the village. Everybody chipped in to pay you guys what you rightfully deserved for helping us," Tazuna said.

"Sweet!" Naruto cheered as he turned around. Surprisingly for the jinchuuriki though, Tazuna held his hand open, "I never properly thanked you for everything you've done…I was wrong to underestimate an apprentice of Jiraiya."

The blonde sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and laughed, "It's okay. You guys stay safe." Naruto then shook the man's hand.

"You'll always be welcome in my home," Tsunami added as she hugged the individual members of Team Seven. Finally, Inari spoke up, "Come visit us!"

Naruto nodded in response, "I sure will."

After their final goodbyes, team seven finally set out again on their way back home.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

There you go…chapter 2.

I hope you guys liked it. Yes…Naruto's bloodline will be the lava and steam release. I know that is the Mizukage's bloodlines, but they were so cool I decided that Naruto had to have them. I know I didn't do much with Sakura this chapter, but oh well.

Just when you thought Naruto and Sasuke were becoming friends, the infamous wall comes back up and they hate each other again. Fun stuff huh?

By the way, I hope you folks didn't mind what I did with Kyuubi. Like I stated in the summary, this is a dark NaruSasu fic, so that is foreshadowing for you right there.

Well that's all I gotta say…thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Training**

The return trip was fairly uneventful for team seven. They were all a bit tired from the battle and the bridge building so none of them talked much at all. Sakura of course still liked to break the awkward silence from time to time.

As the group neared Konoha, Sakura sighed heavily, "What a long trip…I can't wait to take a shower and sleep in my own bed."

"Agreed," Naruto added. The pink haired girl looked over at Naruto and began to stare at him. This was very unusual for the blonde. Ever since Naruto saved Sakura's live from Zabuza's sword, the girl seemed much more interested in him.

He pretended not to notice her awkwardly long stares or smiles, but Naruto wondered what was going through Sakura's head. Sure he saved her, but Sakura had no interest in him. Or so he thought.

Sakura's interest in Naruto seemed to only grow with time over the past week. Although despite this opportunity, Naruto found himself oddly put off by Sakura's attitude.

'_I wonder if she really likes me? Probably not. She is most likely only interested in my secrets…just like Sasuke._' Naruto's mind trailed to the thought of his raven haired team mate. He didn't know why he cared so much about her rejecting his friendship.

Lately, Naruto's mind had been more focused on Sasuke than Sakura. He didn't know why either. Naruto hated Sasuke…or so he thought.

'_She's such a bitch she treated me like I was nothing for four years. Then we become team mates and her attitude completely changes…she was being so nice to me…and now we're back to square fucking one!_' Naruto didn't show it, but he was tormented by the hold the Uchiha girl seemed to put over him.

Sasuke looked back and saw Naruto staring at her. She huffed irritably and looked away, '_Damn it…why is he staring at me again? Just don't look at him Sasuke…I can't risk letting my guard down again._'

Naruto sighed as he looked forward again. Sakura noticed the animosity between the two genin and was secretly happy about it, '_I'm so glad they don't like each other…Sasuke is such a bitch._'

Before they reached the gates, Kakashi stopped and turned to face his team. They all looked at him curiously as he pulled out the black bag Tazuna gave them.

"Do not relay the events of Zabuza or those chunin to anybody. If anybody found out that I took three genin on an A rank mission then I'd be in trouble. However, seeing as how you three did an excellent job on this mission, I am going to split the money the townspeople gave us three ways between all of you," Kakashi explained.

The three genin were surprised as the jounin began to distribute the money from the bag among his three disciples. "Wow! Look at all this money!" Sakura shouted gleefully.

"Don't go around flashing it though…if you lose it I won't be responsible and will deny its existence," Kakashi stated.

"How come we're not doing it four ways? You did a lot of work Kakashi-sensei," Naruto asked.

The masked man laughed as he scratched the back of his head, "Well consider it a bribe…I really don't feel like doing all the paperwork to explain how I took my genin team on an A rank mission and almost risked…"

Kakashi caught his tongue as he looked at Naruto. This went unnoticed by everybody except the blonde, but he pretended he didn't.

"You three get a long night's rest and meet me at training ground seven tomorrow afternoon. Feel free to sleep in. You deserve it for doing a good job," Kakashi said proudly. The three genin pocketed their money and nodded as they followed their sensei through the gates of Konoha.

The guards waved at them as they entered the village. Kakashi waved at his team and disappeared leaving the three of them alone.

Sasuke left without saying a word towards the Uchiha Compound leaving Naruto and Sakura alone. The blonde was glad to be home.

'_Finally…maybe now I can get some alone time with my scroll!_' Naruto thought as he began to walk towards his apartment.

Much to his surprise, Sakura followed him and grabbed his hand. He turned around curiously to find the pink haired girl smiling at him. "C'mon Naruto, let's go have some ramen to celebrate our mission!"

'_Aw damn…she couldn't have picked a worse time to ask me out to dinner,_' Naruto thought as he examined Sakura. There was a brief silence before the blonde spoke up, "I would love to Sakura-chan, but I am really tired…how about tomorrow?"

'_What the fuck? Did he just turn me down? I thought Naruto was head over heels for me?_' Sakura thought in disbelief as she held onto the boy's hand.

"Naruto, you're the one always asking me out on dates and now when I finally offer you one you refuse? What gives?" Sakura asked.

Naruto pulled his hand from her grip and sighed, "It's not that I don't want to Sakura-chan, It's just that I really feel like getting some sleep. I promise you we'll hang out tomorrow."

Sakura looked a bit unhappy about the situation but nodded her head as Naruto took his leave.

She shook her head and sighed as she leaned against a nearby wall. '_Naruto is like a completely different person…it's hard to believe he's the dead-last, knucklehead he used to be. There's a lot more to him than I originally thought…I need to get to know him better._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke was extremely depressed to put it lightly. She had a sad look etched across her face as she walked through the doors to her house.

'_Why…why did I say those things to Naruto. I just ruined my chance to become his friend for good. Damn it! Why am I always thinking about him…screw him! He's not so great!_' Sasuke thought angrily as she threw a kunai against her wall imbedding a clock.

Despite her inner turmoil, Sasuke knew she was lying to herself. Naruto was without a doubt the most fascinating person she had ever met. Every single time she thought she had him figured out, he would do something new.

His wide range of powerful jutsus was a great example. '_How can he be so strong? He's just like Itachi…Mr. Fucking perfect! Naruto made me look bad…he even had a damn bridge named after him_!'

The Uchiha girl hated herself for it, but she was deeply jealous of the new Naruto. Ever since she learned about his secret training from Jiraiya, Sasuke found herself in Naruto's shadow.

It was not a feeling she was used to. All throughout the academy, Sasuke had always been the top student. She took a decent amount of pride in the fact that she was far superior to all of the other genin. Although that was no longer the case it seemed.

The fact that Naruto, the dead last academy student and known pariah of leaf village, could make her look bad was an extreme blow to her pride. Sasuke shook her head as she wandered into her room.

'_How am I going to kill Itachi if I can't even beat Naruto of all people?_' Sasuke thought depressed as she lied down on her bed. Her mind continued to race at the thought of the blonde.

'_I'll just have to train harder…seven days a week from dawn till dusk! With my new Sharingan Naruto won't stand a chance._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kakashi made his way to the Hokage office with his mind in shambles. The copy-nin was proud of Naruto's outstanding assistance during the mission, but the fact that a mere genin held off a swordsman of the mist was just mind blowing to him.

It didn't take long before Kakashi was outside the door of the Hokage's office. He knocked on it awaiting a response. After a brief moment he heard the familiar voice of the Hokage, "Come in Kakashi."

The jounin entered the old man's office and closed the door behind himself. He saw Sarutobi facing the window with his hands folded behind his back. There was a moment of silence before the jounin spoke up, "Naruto is too powerful to be a genin."

The Hokage nodded his head without turning around, "He's a lot like his father…what did you expect?"

Kakashi shook his head and replied, "I am serious…that kid is jounin level at least. Why wasn't I told about his training?"

The Hokage finally turned around and sighed, "Don't feel that bad, Kakashi…I wasn't even aware of it for the first year. Jiraiya's actions surprised even me when I found out. Although, I didn't say anything and allowed it to go on…I figured it was probably for the best."

"I suppose you're right…since he is a jinchuuriki he will need to be strong," Kakashi agreed.

The Hokage nodded his head, "Naruto is a lot like his father…but without proper guidance he could end up like mother. He was trained so that he would have the ability to handle being a jinchuuriki and so that he could continue Minato's legacy."

Kakashi nodded his head and sighed, "That kid is something else. He even made the Uchiha girl look bad by comparison and she is a pure genius."

The Sandaime smiled as he studied the copy-nin, "So tell me…how did your mission to Wave Country go? You're a week past your ETA in Konoha. Was your mission a success?"

Kakashi nodded his head, "Yes it was…a bit rough but we pulled through just fine."

The Hokage looked interested, "You know…I was going over recent sightings in Wave Country and they say that Zabuza, the Demon of the Mist, was spotted there."

Kakashi sighed deeply, "We fought off Zabuza and a criminal leader named Gato. My team and I completed our mission with zero casualties and successfully killed two missing nin known as the Demon Brothers."

The Hokage raised a hand to his chin and looked at Kakashi seriously, "So you killed two missing nin from Kiri? That might not bode well for our relations with them."

"Actually…Naruto killed them," Kakashi corrected him. The Hokage was shocked to hear that. He sat down in his chair and shook his head in disbelief, "That's not good…killing at such a young age greatly cripples one's psychological development."

Kakashi crossed his arms, "Well it happened so fast that I wasn't able to stop him…hell I didn't even know he had the gall to kill people. Although he did seem genuinely remorseful about it."

The Hokage sighed deeply as he pulled out his pipe and began to smoke, "Please tell me that Naruto didn't find out anything about Whirlpool Country or his clan…"

Kakashi looked concerned and shrugged, "I…don't think he did. Although there was a strange thing that happened during the mission. We were at a civilian's house and Naruto walked out because a boy called him a killer."

The Hokage intently focused on Kakashi waiting for him to continue.

"Sasuke and Sakura volunteered to go talk to him and left afterwards…I stayed with the civilian to ensure the mission priorities. Anyways, four hours later, Sasuke and Sakura returned saying that they couldn't find Naruto. That wasn't the strange part though…then this boy came into the house and claimed that people spotted a red eyed demon in the forest," Kakashi explained.

The Hokage dropped his pipe on his desk and looked concerned, "Red eyes? Is something wrong with Naruto's seal?"

The copy-nin shrugged, "I have no idea…but anyways, I followed a trail into the woods and found Naruto later that night. He told me that he located Zabuza's hideout on the northeastern part of the island courtesy of taking a bandit hostage."

"No! Kakashi for your sake you better hope that he didn't discover what that place was!" The Hokage said sternly.

The jounin looked nervous as he continued, "Naruto told me that he went inside…I thought it was too late at that point, but he didn't ask me anything or seem different in anyway so I assume he did not find out that he was in his Clan's Compound."

The Hokage sighed in relief as he shook his head, "Well that's good…I don't want him finding out the truth about that place."

"Although…there was one thing that had me extremely worried though…Zabuza said something about Naruto being part of a great clan to him. That kid is normally energetic and curious, but he didn't say a word about it…I have no idea what that could mean…" Kakashi said.

"For the time being, I would suggest leaving Naruto alone. Alerting him would make it much harder to keep an eye on his behavior," Sarutobi concluded.

"Please tell me that this mission will be off the record…" Kakashi requested.

"It will be…I do not want anybody finding out about this. I assume your team has been briefed?"

Kakashi nodded his head, "I told them to keep it to themselves and even split the bonus we received from the villagers between the three of them."

"Good…I am glad you were able to straighten out that mess. From here on out, your team will be restricted to D rank missions until after the chunin exams. I don't want Naruto and Sasuke anywhere away from the eyes of Konoha," The Hokage said.

Kakashi nodded his head and took his leave, "I'll keep you informed if anything new happens."

"Wait…I have a mission for you Kakashi. I want you to lead a squad of Anbu to that compound and destroy it. Naruto must never learn about it," The Hokage ordered.

"I'm not active duty in Anbu anymore…plus I have a genin team to watch," Kakashi replied.

"If your team can fight off an A rank criminal like Zabuza, I'm sure they will be fine. Plus, I need you to go," Sarutobi commanded.

Kakashi sighed deeply and nodded his head, "I'll prepare at once Hokage-sama."

After Kakashi left the office the Hokage took a long inhale of his pipe. '_I pray that Naruto never learns about the horrible things that clan did._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto was lying in his bed after finally getting home. He opened his scroll studying it, '_Hmm…here's a list of the basics to learn the bloodline. First I must have great chakra control…check. Second I must be able to perform Earth, Fire, and Water jutsus…well shit. How do I do that?'_

Naruto skimmed through the scroll until he reached the bottom which had basic jutsus. He read the first one interested, '_Doton: Doryuu Joule' _(Earth Style Rampart) It showed the necessary hand signs required a small picture of what the jutsu looked like.

'_That could come in handy…but how exactly would that help me do Lava jutsus?_' Naruto wondered as he started memorizing the hand signs.

"**It is relevant because it teaches you how to harness earth chakra. Once you're able to do earth and fire, you'll have to simultaneously use them to make lava," **Kyuubi answered.

'_What the hell? How do you know that and I don't?_' Naruto asked shocked.

"**Don't ask me stupid questions…just study your dumb scroll."**

Naruto did as the bijou commanded and looked at the second basic jutsu, '_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu._' (Fire style: Grand Fireball technique)

Naruto immediately recognized the jutsu, '_That's the one Sasuke is always using…that shouldn't be too hard to master. I already know the hand signs for that one._'

The third basic jutsu was one Naruto recognized from his fight with Zabuza, '_Suiton: Suihashu._' (Water Wave Hand)

Naruto laughed as he read the jutsu, '_I guess this was the only one Zabuza was able to learn from the scroll hahaha! Well at any rate this should be easy to master. I am already good at water jutsus._'

Naruto looked at the basic jutsus for a minute until an idea crossed his mind, '_Oh I get it…these are here because they help maximize the potential of Lava and Boil jutsus. That rock wall can be used to make a lava fall and the water and fire jutsus are both aimed attacks which I mix my different elemental chakra with.'_

"**You're going to need to tread lightly if you intend to keep these bloodline abilities a secret. Training in Konoha is out of the question if you intend on using Lava and Steam…"**

'_You're right…I'm going to need a new place to train. Not to mention now that my team is aware of my strength, they'll be keeping a close watch on me, especially Kakashi-sensei.' _Naruto replied.

"**I have an idea…isn't there a large forest in the village off limits to almost everybody?" **Kyuubi asked.

Naruto thought for a moment until he remembered what the fox meant, '_You mean the Forest of Death? I guess that would be the best place to train in secret…it is usually locked up twenty four seven._'

"**I suggest you wake up early and go check it out…it would be a good place to be secretive."**

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. He couldn't believe it, but lately the fox seemed to be making a lot more sense. Ever since he killed those two chunin, Naruto found himself listening to the nine tails a lot more than usual.

Most of the time he tuned out the random ranting of the demon, but lately he was starting to enjoy their conversations. Naruto concealed his scroll as he rested his head and went to sleep, '_I can't wait for tomorrow._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kakashi's mind was still wandering over the issue regarding Naruto. He feared what the boy would do if he found out the truth about his clan.

'_Naruto can't learn the truth about his mother,_' Kakashi thought as he shook his head. The jounin made his way to a certain door and began to knock. Opening the door, a shirtless and tired Asuma answered him, "Kakashi? What do you need?"

The jounin gave Asuma a serious look and replied, "It's about Naruto…can you tell me a genin managed to master wind chakra in a year?"

Asuma looked a bit taken aback from this question, "I…umm, well I don't know. Why are you asking me…oh wait a minute, you're his jounin instrutor."

"Just how much about wind chakra did you teach him?" Kakashi asked curiously.

There was a brief silence before Asuma answered, "I taught him every wind jutsu I know…he's almost as good as me at some of them. I even got him his own pair of trench knives. You've got it made with that kid on your team Kakashi…he's going to make the chunin exams look like a walk in the park."

Suddenly, a woman with a robe on came up behind Asuma. Kakashi immediately recognized it as Kurenai and chuckled, "Is this a bad time?"

Asuma shook his head and laughed, "Kind of…hit me up later Kakashi and I'll tell you whatever you want to know about Naruto."

The masked jounin nodded his head and took his leave. As he left, Kurenai looked confused, "What did Kakashi want? And what's this about Naruto?"

Asuma sighed and shook his head, "It's nothing…let's go back to bed."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next day was very cloudy and dark. Naruto woke up early as usual and stared at his ceiling contemplating his plans for the day. '_I still have all that money I got from the mission…maybe I should go shopping._'

"**I would suggest buying a replacement in clothing. Your orange jumpsuit is going to stick out like a sore thumb if you try to sneak around."**

'_You're a fox…why should I take fashion advice from you?' _Naruto asked as he sat up in his bed.

"**Just be practical…"**

'_I guess it couldn't hurt to buy a stealthier outfit…but don't think that means the orange is going to go away.'_

"**Whatever…do what you want fool."**

Naruto proceeded to get dressed and gathered his money before walking out the door. As he made his way through the village, he noticed very few people out and about.

It wasn't surprising. The weather suggested a high probability of rain. Also, it was still fairly early and most people were just opening their shops for the day.

Naruto spent about an hour looking for an appropriate clothing store. He wasn't really in a hurry seeing as how most were just opening anyways. Upon finally finding a suitable shop, the blonde genin walked inside.

As he walked through the door, the shopkeeper instantly recognized who he was. The man gave Naruto an odd look but remained silent as the boy browsed through his shop.

Naruto glanced over and saw the look on the man's face. He turned away and sighed as he recognized the look, '_I hate it when people stare at me like that._'

Naruto ignored the cold stare of the shopkeeper and looked over his wares. '_Guess I'll have to wear a lot of black if I want to be stealthy…that shirt looks pretty cool.'_

Naruto found a sleeveless black shirt with an orange swirl on the back. There were several of them, which he decided to pick up.

He continued to mix and match different articles of clothing until finally he came up with a suitable outfit. Naruto took the clothes to the front of placed them on the counter in front of the shopkeeper. He eyed the boy suspiciously until Naruto pulled out money to pay.

After an awkwardly silent check out, Naruto took his new clothing home. He immediately dashed through his door and began to change into his new outfit. After he was finished, he hung up his orange jumpsuit and looked himself in a mirror.

Naruto's new outfit consisted of a sleeveless black shirt with an orange swirl on the back and black ninja pants with a an orange stripe running down each leg. To top it off, Naruto also wore a new pair of black ninja sandals. Overall, his appearance looked much less noticeable…or so he thought.

'_Good, I should be less noticeable now,_' Naruto thought as he walked out the door once more. He had his scroll concealed in his ninja pouch as he made his way towards the Forest of Death.

Naruto only knew of its whereabouts because of Jiraiya. The sannin would often recommend the Forest to Naruto to hone his survival skills, but he saw no point in training in it until now.

The blonde jumped across the rooftops of Konoha as he made good progress towards his destination. As he leapt, he heard a loud grumble come from his stomach. '_There's no way I can go train on an empty stomach…guess I should grab something to eat. I'd kill for some ramen right now!_'

"**Maybe you could eat something other than that crap for a change since you have money."**

The jinchuuriki thought about Kyuubi's suggestion for a moment, '_Hmm…ah what the hell, I might as well try one of these other restaurants. They won't turn down paying customers._'

"**Their greed likely overshadows their hatred for you…" **Kyuubi added. Naruto nodded in agreement as he landed on a busy street.

He looked around at the different restaurants and spotted a Dango shop. '_That sounds pretty good. Although I've only had Dango once in my life._' Naruto made his way towards the restaurant and walked inside.

As he entered, he received several odd looks from the inhabitants. The owner came up and eyed him suspiciously, "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Yes, I am here for the Dango lunch special," Naruto replied. The man crossed his arms and raised a brow, "Do you have money?"

The blonde pulled out some money and nodded, "Yes sir I do."

The owner sighed as he pointed the blonde to a booth in the back. Naruto took a seat at the booth and looked around the restaurant again.

Several of the older people were staring at him, but all of the younger ones didn't pay him any heed. The blonde trailed off in thought as he stared at a wall, '_I'll have some breakfast and then I'm going to train in the Forest of Death all day._'

"**Didn't that pussy with the mask say you had to be at your team training ground by noon?" **Kyuubi asked amused. The reminder irritated Naruto greatly, '_Damn it…I don't feel like seeing my team and doing some worthless D rank mission._'

"Naruto? Is that you?" A voice sounded. Naruto was drawn from his thoughts by a long blonde haired girl, "Who the hell are you?"

Ino was completely taken aback by Naruto's rude acknowledgement. She crossed her arms and glared at the genin, "What do you mean who the hell am I? We went to the academy together for the past four years…ring a bell moron?"

Naruto took a closer look at the blonde and recognized her, "Oh…it's you."

Ino looked annoyed as Naruto turned back to staring at the wall. '_I think this is the first time this girl has ever spoken to me…I don't even remember her name._'

"**Her name is as insignificant as her pathetic life."**

Naruto looked over at Ino who was still standing in front of his table with her arms crossed. "Is there something you need?" The blonde asked with a careless tone of voice.

"Can I sit down?" Ino asked. The boy shrugged, "I don't care…"

The blonde girl sat down across from Naruto directly in front of the wall he was staring at. He looked at her curiously as she began to speak, "So…we've never actually spoken to each other before."

"Why would anybody speak to the dead last? I mean it's not like he's a human being or anything," Naruto responded sarcastically.

"There's no reason for you to be such a jerk! I just wanted to talk to you!" Ino shouted at him.

"Fine…what do you want to talk about?" Naruto sighed. There was a brief silence before Ino responded, "Well, first of all, I wanted to ask you how in the world did you get a perfect score on the final?"

Naruto shook his head and sighed deeper, "That stuff is easy…I don't see why you're even concerned about it."

"It just doesn't make sense…I mean you didn't even know the answers to any basic questions a week before it happened. Tell me the truth…I promise I won't tell anybody, I just really, really, really want to know!"

The blonde sighed once more, '_Anything to shut her up…not to mention now that Sakura knows it's not like it'll be a secret for much longer anyways._'

Just then, the owner walked over to Naruto's booth and handed him a plate of Dango. He also had one in his hand for Ino, "Are you eating with '_him_?'"

The blonde girl nodded her head, "Yes I am."

The man placed Ino's plate in front of her as well. After he walked away, Naruto picked up his first Dango stick and began to eat a dumpling off of it.

"Well are you going to tell me or not?" Ino demanded as she watched the boy eat. After Naruto finished chewing his food he answered her, "What did you want again?"

"Urgh! Don't play dumb Uzumaki, you know what I want!" Ino shouted. The scene attracted the attention of several nearby people. Upon hearing her words, Ino looked completely embarrassed as she sat down blushing madly.

"Hahaha!" Naruto laughed at her as she looked away trying to hide her embarrassment.

"You jerk! You did that on purpose!" Ino shouted at him. Naruto didn't bother responding as he continued to eat his food.

Ino stared at him impatiently before slamming her hand against the table, "Seriously, tell me now!"

"Why are you so curious anyways? You didn't give two damns about me a few weeks ago…and now all of a sudden you come demanding information from me that isn't relevant to you in anyway whatsoever," Naruto said.

"Asuma-sensei said that we should be more like you…I want to know why," Ino answered. The blonde looked confused at her answer, "What? Why would he say that?"

"Hell if I know! Shikamaru, Chouji, and I thought he was out of his mind…but after hearing about your perfect score on the exam and everything Sakura has been talking about lately, I am beginning to wonder."

Naruto finally finished his food and stood up to leave. He approached the owner and handed the man money including a decent tip. The man looked surprised by the boy's generosity and actually smiled, "Have a nice day kid."

Naruto nodded and left the restaurant. He didn't get far before a rabid blonde girl pounced on him from behind wrapping her arm around his neck, "Damn it Uzumaki! You are not allowed to walk away from me when I am talking to you!"

Much to Ino's surprise however, Naruto ignored her still as he leapt onto a nearby rooftop. She growled as she tried to tighten her chokehold on him.

It lasted about half a second before Naruto flipped the girl off his back and drew one of his trench knives holding it to her throat, "Leave me alone! I don't have time to play twenty questions with you!"

Ino looked shocked by Naruto's actions and remained silent as he pulled the weapon back and put it away.

The blonde girl took a closer look at the boy with the sun over his head. His hair was golden and luminescent with the glow of the sun overhead. Ino took a closer look at his outfit and found herself impressed, '_Woah…I never realized that Naruto was so cute before…wait what did I just say?_'

Naruto then offered a hand to the girl, "Look, I'm sorry Ino, I am just in a bit of a hurry this morning…here let me help you up."

As she grabbed the boy's hand he pulled her up to her feet. Ino found herself staring at him the whole time, '_Naruto looks so…different._' Without realizing it, Ino was still clenching Naruto's hand tightly.

"Umm…you can let go now, Ino…this is getting awkward," Naruto said.

The girl instantly let go of his hand and looked away embarrassed with a slight blush, "It's not like I wanted to touch your hand or anything!"

"That must be why you didn't let go right away then…got something you want to say?" Naruto asked amused. Before Ino could come up with a comeback, Naruto soared onto a nearby rooftop and began to take off at high speed.

'_Did he just flirt with me?_' The thought caused Ino to blush shamelessly as she sat down on the rooftop. She shook her head and laughed aloud, '_No way! There's no way in hell that I would ever date him! Although he is strong from what Sakura says…NO this is the dead last moron I'm thinking about here!_'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

'_It took forever to get that girl off my case_…' Naruto sighed as he landed on the street looking around in case he had been followed.

The blonde cautiously walked around the corner of the alley he had landed in to observe the outer edges of the Forest of Death. It was gated and locked and Naruto could scarcely make out several chunin patrols wandering the perimeter where he was at.

'_This place looks pretty busy…there's got to be a less public place where I can enter and exit undetected._'

"Naruto, is that you?" a voice sounded from behind. The blonde turned around to identify the source and spotted a familiar person, "Kiba? What do you want?"

'_Fuck…why do I keep running in to these people?_' Naruto inwardly groaned as spotted the three members of Team eight looking at him curiously.

"Oh snap, It is him guys! Wow, I can't believe you actually became a genin…" Kiba laughed. Naruto looked at him emotionlessly and sighed, "I don't have time for your shit, Kiba."

"Yeah you must have important stuff to do like D rank missions! Our team got to go on two C rank missions in the past two weeks!" Kiba bragged.

"**Wow this kid needs to die…"**

'_Big fucking deal…I got a bridge named after me for fighting off missing nin_,' Naruto inwardly sighed.

Naruto didn't bother saying anything as he looked away and back towards the Forest of Death, '_Alright…this area is definitely too populated. I think there might be a small pocket near the edge of the hot springs where I can go in from._'

"Hey are you listening to me dobe!" Kiba shouted.

"Ignore him, Naruto…it is good to see you again. Congratulations on becoming a genin," Shino spoke up. Naruto turned around and smiled at the shaded bug user, "Thanks Shino, and congratulations to you three as well."

"Hi N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata managed to say quietly. The blonde turned his gaze towards her and noticed a large blush covering her face.

"I forgot what your name was again…Hyuuga right?" Naruto asked as he approached the girl. Hinata's blush deepened as he extended his hand, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, but I guess you already know that."

"I-I am H-H-Hinata…I know who you are N-Naruto-kun," The shy Hyuuga responded as she shook Naruto's hand.

"Something wrong Hinata? You look a bit flustered?" Kiba asked as he eyed the girl curiously. Naruto placed a hand on her forehead and nodded, "You might have a fever."

Suddenly, the shy girl fainted upon Naruto's hand touching her forehead. The genin managed to catch her and looked at her concerned, "She looks sick, you guys should have kept a closer eye on your team mate."

Kiba looked annoyed, "Hey, Hey, don't go off lecturing me Uzumaki! Hinata was fine until you showed up!"

"You're the ones who came to me…" Naruto shot back.

Suddenly, the Hyuuga girl woke up and saw herself in Naruto's arms. A scarlet blush covered her face as she saw his sleeveless arms and sparkling blue eyes.

'_Oh my goodness…I am in Naruto's arms! Is this a dream_?' Hinata thought as she stared longingly at the boy.

"Naruto-kun…hold me in your arms forever." Hinata sighed passionately as she stared at him. This caused the boy to look down at her confused, "Hinata, are you alright? You fainted all of a sudden and now you're talking really funny."

Reality hit Hinata just then, '_Oh no…I am awake!_' The white eyed girl instantly fainted again. "Put Hinata down Naruto before your ugliness kills her!" Kiba shouted.

Naruto shook his head and sighed as he handed the unconscious girl to her team mate, "Here, go get her checked or something…I gotta go."

"It was good seeing you again Naruto," Shino nodded. The blonde waved at the boy as he left leaving Team eight alone once more.

"I wonder what's wrong with Hinata?" Kiba said concerned as he began to carry the girl. Shino shook his head and sighed, "She's fine…let's take her back to Kurenai-sensei."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto spent the next three hours stealthily patrolling the perimeter of the Forest of Death. He located several probable entrance sights but continued searching for a better one.

Finally, he reached an area near the mountain range of the Hokage heads that had good cover for him to sneak in through. Naruto looked around cautiously for anybody watching or following him. Unfortunately, for him, he saw a flash of pink running towards him.

"Naruto! What are you doing right outside of my house?" Sakura asked as she ran up to the blonde. '_Damn it…so much for this spot!_'

Naruto looked around and saw several nice homes around him. They weren't extravagant or anything, but they were comfortable looking.

"Are you following me or something? How did you find out where I lived?" Sakura laughed.

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he waved at the girl, "No, Sakura-chan, I wasn't stalking you or anything…I was just on a walk and ended up over here."

"Liar! You followed me didn't you?" Sakura giggled. Naruto was slightly confused by the giggle.

"Seriously, Sakura-chan, I was just looking for somebody and…"

Before the blonde could finish his sentence, Sakura interrupted him, "We both know you're full of crap, Naruto…you were looking for me, admit it!"

"**These people are pissing me off!" **Kyuubi growled.

'_Is Sakura flirting with me? This is the weirdest day of my life._'

"I'll take your silence as a yes…so anyways Naruto, you still owe me that date at Ichiraku's Ramen you promised from yesterday," Sakura stated.

'_Why does everybody notice me and want to hang out with me the one day that I am trying to be invisible_?' Naruto inwardly groaned.

"Well…I already had Dango for breakfast and-" Naruto was cut off again by Sakura.

"It's almost noon though! You haven't had lunch yet! I'm sure you're probably hungry!" Sakura said.

'_What? It's almost noon already? Damn…so much for my training today,_' the jinchuuriki inwardly sighed.

"What about Kakashi-sensei and our daily meeting with him at the training ground?" Naruto asked.

"Screw that, Kakashi-sensei is always late anyways…we'll just go after lunch," Sakura reasoned. Finally, Naruto nodded his head in agreement, "Alright, let's go get some ramen then!"

"**What a fucking waste of time…don't go hang out with this dumb mortal kit! You have training to do!"**

'_Shut up Kyuubi! I can't train right now anyways…'_

The fox growled at his comment but didn't bother replying as Naruto and Sakura made their way to Ichiraku's.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke was furiously trying to master the technique she copied from Kakashi during the battle with Zabuza. The Uchiha girl managed to copy the basics of Chidori and had been honing it to a certain degree.

Her progress had been decent for the past few hours, but nowhere near what would be considered perfect. Sasuke had been training since the crack of dawn.

This wasn't unusual for the Uchiha girl, but this morning she amplified her routine threefold. Even the basics were exhausting. Lately, Sasuke had been improving her speed. She added hardcore cardio and resistance weight training in her legs to improve her speed.

'_I have to get faster if I want to keep up with my Sharingan…then if I can master this jutsu from Kakashi-sensei, I'll be much stronger! Naruto's water jutsus won't stand a chance against lightning!_'

For the first time that day, the girl took a break as she walked back inside her house. She looked at the clock on her microwave and noticed the time, '_It's five till noon…guess I should go waste a few hours doing D rank missions._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto and Sakura were seated at Ichiraku's Ramen stand happily eating. The pink haired girl smiled at the carefree look her team mate had as he went through several bowls.

"So anyways, Naruto, tell me a little more about yourself…I barely know anything about you other than what I've heard from the academy and seen on our missions," Sakura requested.

The blonde swallowed his current mouthful of ramen and looked over at Sakura. There was a brief silence before he spoke up, "Well there's not really much to say about me, Sakura-chan."

"Oh c'mon, tell me about your childhood or something," Sakura replied. Sakura then saw a sad look cross Naruto's face at the mention.

'_My childhood…_' Several depressing memories swept through Naruto's mind at the mention. Other than his memories with Kyuubi, one memory haunted him still. When he was a six year old boy, he stood across from a large crowd of villagers.

They all stared at him angrily with crossed arms as he cried his heart out. This memory caused Naruto to drop his chopsticks and stare into his bowl.

Sakura looked a bit concerned by his actions and put a hand on his shoulder, "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it…I'll be here if you do though."

Naruto looked up at her as his mood changed back to normal, "It's nothing worth mentioning Sakura-chan, I was just an orphan is all."

The pink haired girl looked confused as Naruto's sad expression changed to a casual happy one.

Sakura decided to change the subject afterwards, "So anyways, how did you end up as Jiraiya-sama's apprentice?"

Naruto shrugged at her question, "I am not really sure to be honest…he just found me one day and it sort of happened."

"There's gotta be more to it than that!" Sakura said persistently.

Naruto sighed and shook his head, "Honestly, there isn't…"

'_Why does Naruto always keep things from people? It's like he's trying to hide from everything…or everyone,_' Sakura concluded as the boy ate his ramen.

"Enough about me, Sakura-chan…I'm more interested in hearing about you," Naruto said.

"**I'm not…don't make me sit through this shit."**

"You're curious about me?" Sakura asked gleefully as she put a finger to her mouth. Naruto nodded at the girl causing her to smile.

"Well I guess I'll tell you about my family first. My mom is a village elder and my dad is a medic nin. They're both pretty strict and don't let me do much of anything fun. Although ever since I became a ninja, my dad has been giving me a weekly allowance and mom let's me stay out late," Sakura explained.

"**This is more boring than watching grass grow…"**

"Your parents sound pretty cool Sakura-chan. Got any other family members?" Naruto asked.

Sakura nodded her head, "I have grandparents and an aunt, but that's about it."

"So why did you decide to become a ninja, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"**I don't want to listen to this nonsense!"**

'_Shut up Kyuubi…for fuck's sake I can't even hear her with you yelling in my head.'_

"Well, I decided to become a ninja because I want to become a medic nin. It is what my dad does…and he is always telling me stories about how Lady Tsunade, the sannin, is a super great medic. I want to become respected and talented like her," Sakura answered.

Naruto nodded his head interested, "That's commendable…Jiraiya used to tell me a lot about her. He said she was the granddaughter of the first Hokage."

"**Wouldn't that make her related to you?" **Kyuubi asked.

Naruto was completely caught off guard by the fox's question as he looked past Sakura at the wall, '_No way…I guess I didn't realize that_.'

"Tell me more about Jiraiya-sama…I hear he very powerful," Sakura requested. The jinchuuriki nodded his head in agreement, "Jiraiya-sensei is very strong…but he's got his weaknesses."

Sakura looked shocked at the mention, "Weaknesses? Are you kidding? He's a legendary Sannin!"

"He's kind of a perv…" Naruto said slowly.

Sakura looked unconvinced, "You must be mistaken…nobody that exalted could be a creeper."

Naruto laughed at her statement and shook his head amused, "Well whenever he comes back to Konoha, be sure to tell him that…"

"So why did you decide to become a ninja?" Sakura asked curiously.

Naruto smiled at her and instantly answered, "That's easy…I want to become Hokage."

Sakura sighed and shook her head, "There's got to be more to it than that…why do you want to be the Hokage? It's a hard job that requires a lot of responsibility."

"Old man Sandaime, is why…he's done so much for me and he's the one who talked me into becoming a ninja. He said that if I became a powerful hero like Yondaime, then everybody in the village would start noticing me and treating me like I am somebody," Naruto answered honestly.

"You don't have to become Hokage to get people to like you…you're a pretty cool guy Naruto. A lot cooler than I originally thought. If you opened up more, I am sure people would like you," Sakura responded.

Naruto looked away and sighed, "It's not that simple for me…"

"Sure it is! I mean nobody hates you…I'll bet if you did something nice for a bunch of people that it would go a long way!" Sakura suggested optimistically.

'_Maybe she's right…maybe if I show the villagers that I am a good guy, then maybe they will start liking me._'

"**Don't listen to her words…these people are never going to change. You'll always be the Kyuubi kid to them. Trying to become a public kiss ass will only waste your time and end up biting you in the ass!"**

"Maybe Sakura-chan…" Naruto replied distantly.

The two finished up their meal shortly afterwards and Naruto paid. He and Sakura left the ramen stand together.

"We should get to the training ground quickly…we're already an hour late!" Sakura said as the two headed out.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Upon reaching Team Seven's training ground, Naruto and Sakura were relieved to see nobody there.

"Phew, we made it before anybody else!" Sakura cheered as she and Naruto arrived.

Naruto sat down near "his tree" as Sakura leaned against the bridge. Suddenly, the two of them heard a voice, "You two idiots are an hour late…and so is Kakashi-sensei. What a waste of my time."

They both saw Sasuke sitting in a tree sharpening a kunai with a bored look on her face.

"That's why we're late! Why bother coming on time if Kakashi-sensei is always late!" Sakura yelled.

Sasuke ignored the pink haired girl as she caught sight of Naruto's new outfit. She eyed the boy up and down with an approving smirk on her face, '_Wow…Naruto looks really cute today._'

The blonde looked up and managed to catch Sasuke staring at him. She instantly broke eye contact and huffed causing him to sigh.

After a moment Sasuke spoke up, "So, Sakura…you and Naruto had good timing showing up at the same time."

"We were having lunch!" Sakura said as she glared at Sasuke.

That immediately caught the Uchiha's attention, '_Lunch? They were eating lunch together?_'

Sakura managed to catch the angry look on Sasuke face and stuck her tongue out. The Sharingan wielder burned with jealousy at the thought, '_That whore! How dare she move in on him!_'

Sakura beamed with pride as flipped Sasuke off. The Uchiha girl snarled as she looked away, '_Whatever…I don't care…those two idiots belong together_.' Sasuke managed to convince herself.

"Hey, Naruto-kun, can I sit next to you?" Sakura asked in a girly voice as she held her hands together in front of Naruto.

The blonde looked up and smiled, "Sure thing Sakura-chan."

Sasuke didn't look because she knew she would kill Sakura if she did. '_I don't care…I don't care…I don't care._' Sasuke kept repeating in her head as she sharpened her kunai harder.

"Naruto-kun…you look so cute in that outfit!" Sakura squealed in a fan girl manner as she wrapped her arm around his.

The way she said "Naruto-kun" almost made Sasuke sick. '_That god damn banshee is going to die!'_

Sasuke immediately jumped out of the tree and charged towards Sakura.

"Morning guys!" Kakashi said cheerfully as he walked across the bridge. This instantly caused the Uchiha girl to stop in her tracks and look at the masked man.

"Morning!" Sakura and Naruto said in unison as they stood up.

Kakashi looked at his team and sighed, "Well I've got good news and I've got bad news."

"What's the news?" Naruto asked.

"The good news is the Chunin exam is a month away. The bad news is, I will be gone for the next two weeks and unable to train you three for it…" Kakashi began.

"What? Where are you going Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

"You guys might not know this, but I am a former Anbu. Even though I am a jounin instructor, I am still technically part of Anbu and I have an important out of village mission to go on," Kakashi answered.

"Why do you have to go? Can't they send somebody else?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi shook his head, "No, it is a covert mission that I am required for…I am sorry, but you three will have to train on your own for the next two weeks."

"Where is this trip to?" Sasuke asked.

"I am unable to tell you three anything other than the fact I am going. You don't have any more missions for the next month. Train hard for the chunin exams. When I return, I will help you three make the final preparations," Kakashi elaborated.

"Isn't that a bit unfair though? We won't have our sensei to train for the chunin exams!" Sakura shouted.

"You three have each other…feel free to spar and train together. The chunin exam will require a lot of team work."

'_This is a perfect opportunity to get more training in!_' Naruto and Sasuke thought simultaneously.

"When are you leaving?" Naruto asked.

"In a few hours…anyways, I just wanted you three to know. Seeing as how you are all very experienced for genin, it shouldn't matter much if I miss a few weeks with you. Just be sure not to slack off," Kakashi answered.

The three genin nodded in unison. A moment later, Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

'_Time to ditch these two and go train,_' Naruto and Sasuke thought simultaneously again.

"Well I'll see you later, Sakura-chan," Naruto said before darting into the distance. This left Sasuke and Sakura alone.

The pink haired girl began to walk away until she felt a strong kick hit her in the back. This sent the pink haired girl flying to the ground full force.

Sakura turned over and looked up worried as Sasuke stomped on her leg. Sakura cried out in pain as Sasuke began to beat her.

"You think you're something little miss Haruno! I have had enough of your bullshit!" Sasuke growled as she stomped on one of Sakura's arms.

After a minute, the raven haired girl stopped. She watched Sakura groan in pain and sit up.

"What the hell is your problem, Sasuke?" Sakura shouted as she grabbed her leg and grimaced in pain.

"I'm only going to tell you this once…stay away from Naruto!" Sasuke shouted.

Sakura stood up and dusted herself off and then the situation hit her, "Why do you care? I can't help it that Naruto likes me!"

That was the wrong thing to say to Sasuke. The Uchiha tackled Sakura to the ground and began to punch her in the face, "FUCK YOU!"

Sakura kneed Sasuke in the stomach and managed to push the girl off herself, "Get off me you crazy emo bitch!"

Sasuke dropped into a fighting stance and smirked at Sakura darkly, "You want to fight me Haruno? Make my day Barbie!"

Sakura shook her head and laughed, "Hahaha, you're just a waste of my time."

Sasuke cracked her fists and glared at Sakura, "You don't even like Naruto…stop messing with his head!"

"I do like him as a matter of fact! You just need to back off!" Sakura shot back.

Sasuke shook her head irritated before turning around and leaving. Sakura laughed at her as she walked away.

'_What the hell is wrong with that girl…why does she care so much about me and Naruto hanging out?_' Sakura wondered as she headed home.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke got a considerable distance away before she screamed out angrily, "DAMN IT! Why does my life suck!"

The Uchiha immediately channeled chakra into her arm and punched a nearby tree causing it to splinter and split in half.

'_This isn't fair…why should she be allowed to date Naruto? I am so much better than her in every way…why doesn't Naruto like me?_'

The raven haired girl sat against a tree and looked down in shame. She knew why Naruto didn't like her. It was her own fault for pushing him away.

'_Fuck this…I am going to train harder and harder! I don't need Naruto and I don't need anybody!_'

After a few minutes of silence, Sasuke managed to repress the thought of Naruto and Sakura.

Sasuke stood up and went through the hand seals of Chidori. After a moment, she channeled a large amount of lightning in her hand. It sparked powerfully and shook as she held her hand out.

'_I wonder what else I can do with this…_'

The Uchiha girl then swung her hand as she spliced her chakra launching a large number of lightning needles impaling a bunch of trees.

'_I'm going to experiment with this! I will become stronger!_' Sasuke shouted inwardly.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A large group of Anbu were waiting the east gate of Konoha. Approaching them was the famed copy nin Kakashi. He was attired in a standard Anbu outfit with his dog mask covering his face.

As he walked into the group, one man turned to Kakashi and asked, "Kakashi-senpai…are you ready to leave for Wave Country?"

The dog masked jounin nodded his head, "Yes, let's leave immediately."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto raced back to his second choice entrance for the Forest of Death. It was a remote looking area with a lot of trees to cover him. Wasting no time, Naruto immediately headed into the Forest of Death.

He traveled for about an hour until finally he reached a large clearing in the Forest. '_This ought to work. I doubt anybody comes through here, and even if they do it's easy to hide in this place._'

The blonde sat down against a tree as he pulled out his scroll. He skimmed through it and reread the basic jutsus on the list. He memorized the hand seals to do them and then put the scroll away.

'_Well I guess I should start practicing this_.'

"Doton: Doryuu Joule!" (Earth Style Rampart) Naruto felt the ground beneath him crack slightly upon doing the technique. He sighed as tried it again.

This time it created a larger crack in the ground beneath him.

'_This is going to take forever! Mass Shadow Clone time!_'

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Suddenly, a hundred Narutos appeared.

Naruto then delegated different assignments to each clone. He made forty of them practice the earth jutsu, another forty the fire one, and twenty for the water one.

He put less on the water jutsu because he was already skilled at it which would make it easier to master.

'_I should camp out here…It would be easier than sneaking in and out all the time_.'

"**That's a great idea…at least then you wouldn't be wasting time talking to weak idiots about there meaningless lives."**

Naruto watched his clones practice tirelessly and sighed as he rested his head against the tree, '_Hmm…well Jiraiya-sensei did teach me survival training. I guess It would be possible to spend a week or two in this forest. Although I'm sure somebody would notice if I was gone for two weeks_.'

"**Put up a barrier so that Hokage can't use his crystal ball to find us." **Kyuubi suggested.

'_How do I do that?_' Naruto asked.

"**Let me do it…I will need to take control of your body for a minute or so though."**

'_What? Hell no…I don't trust you Kyuubi!' _

"**Well it's that or a squad of Anbu showing up to take your little scroll away from you…It's pretty obvious that the Uzumaki Clan was feared by Konoha. I don't think they would take kindly to you learning the bloodline," **Kyuubi convinced.

Naruto sighed in defeat as he began to channel Kyuubi's chakra. He felt his senses temporarily cut off as he allowed the fox to take control of his body.

True to his word, Kyuubi put up a barrier. After a few minutes, Naruto felt control of his body returning.

'_I am surprised you kept your word…_' Naruto said as he sat down against the tree again.

"**Helping you helps me. I have no reason to turn against you since you pretty much do what I say anyways."**

'_So how does this barrier of yours work_?' Naruto asked interested.

"**It's like genjutsu except a hundred times better. Trust me…nobody is going to find you in here."**

Well I've got a long two weeks of training ahead of me then. Naruto stood and crossed his arms as he thought about something he himself could do.

'_I guess it couldn't hurt to practice Rasengan some more. I want to make a big one like Jiraiya-sensei can do._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well that's Chapter 3 for my small group of readers. I hope you enjoyed another fun filled chapter. Sorry if you got offended by all the cussing, but this story is rated M for a reason.

Kyuubi sure is a jerk isn't he? I hope you guys didn't mind the commentary from him

Anyways, thanks for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

Sup folks. Here's the latest installment in my story. I hope you enjoy reading it.

**Chapter 4: Fall of the Uzumaki Clan**

Kakashi and his fellow Anbu had been on the road for about four days and finally they were nearing the location of the Uzumaki Compound. There were twelve Anbu including Kakashi sent on this covert mission.

The squad of Anbu halted a short distance away from the building as they looked to Kakashi. He waved them over into a circle.

The group of Konoha nin stood anxiously awaiting his orders. "Alright, for those of you that don't know the full details of this mission, we are going to completely destroy the remains of Uzushiogakure. This building right here is one of the few remaining places that stand from that village."

Everybody remained silent as Kakashi took a breath. The copy-nin continued, "This is the Uzumaki Compound…for those of you that don't know, they are one of the most powerful clans in the world. Or at least they used to be."

"What happened to it?" a purple haired woman asked curiously. Kakashi shook his head and sighed, "It is considered an S class secret on par with the Kyuubi itself."

"Well isn't that special?" The purple haired woman sighed sarcastically.

"Before we destroy this place however, the Hokage has requested that we scour for any relevant information. This place was home for several missing nin recently," Kakashi stated. Everyone nodded and followed Kakashi as he snuck inside.

The Anbu group did a quick sweep of the place and found it to be completely deserted. "I want Team one to go downstairs and check the basement levels. Team two stay with me and look through the upper levels."

Everybody silently nodded as they set off on their searching. Kakashi looked at a portrait in the main room and saw a beautiful red headed woman on it. She had two buns of red hair and an elaborate kimono on.

He read the nameplate below it, '_Mito Uzumaki…founder of the Uzumaki Clan and wife of the First Hokage. It's a miracle that Naruto didn't see this_…'

The purple haired woman walked up behind Kakashi, "Who's that Kakashi?"

"Well, Anko, read the nameplate and find out. She was the daughter of a powerful warlord. She created the Uzumaki Clan," Kakashi answered.

Anko looked at the portrait closer and read the nameplate to herself. After a moment she turned around and laughed, "Shodaime-sama, married this woman?"

Kakashi nodded his head, "Yes, Mito Uzumaki was his wife. Some say she was the strongest Kunoichi ever…she was also the first jinchuuriki of Kyuubi."

Anko looked perplexed, "What? I didn't know that Kyuubi had any other containers…besides the fox kid."

Kakashi sighed, "After the battle between the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha, the Kyuubi was spotted on a destructive rampage near the Valley of the End. Neither Mito nor Hashirama were able to subdue the beast. In a desperate move, Mito sealed the beast into her own body."

"Why would she do that?" Anko asked confused.

"Minato-sensei told me why…he said that the Uzumaki Clan is actually closely related to the Senju. Both clans have incredible vitality. Due to the Kyuubi's destructive chakra, it would destroy any other host if they didn't have a powerful enough body to withstand it," Kakashi explained.

"So what you're saying is that the Uzumaki Clan is the only one capable of containing the nine tails?" Anko asked perplexed.

Kakashi nodded his head, "Well technically, the Senju probably could as well. Although, there have only been three hosts for Kyuubi…all three of them from this clan. Mito Uzumaki was the first, Kushina Uzumaki was the second, and her son Naruto Uzumaki is the current one."

"I don't get it then…what happened to this clan?" Anko questioned.

Walking into the room, another Anbu member answered her, "They were wiped out by order of Sandaime-sama…"

Anko eyed the newcomer intently, "Well, Yamato, care to elaborate?"

He sighed before answering, "This clan's destruction is tragic. Nobody knows what happened exactly. The Clan's leader simply lost it. Despite being close allies with Konoha, Mito turned against us and attempted to destroy Konoha."

"What?" Anko's eyes shot open surprised.

Yamato nodded his head and continued, "There are several theories as to why she did it, but nobody knows for sure. Mito simply transformed into Kyuubi and single handedly tried to destroy the village. Thankfully, she never made it because Lord Tobirama intercepted her halfway."

Kakashi nodded his head and cut in, "Mito was defeated by Tobirama, who then sealed the Kyuubi into his grand niece Kushina at the cost of his own life and Mito's. The girl was then secretly brought to Konoha due to the lack of trust we had for Uzushio."

"I'll bet that pissed them off." Anko stated plainly.

Yamato sighed, "Since the battle was such a secret, the Uzumaki Clan falsely believed that Tobirama assassinated Mito…and after they learned of Kushina's whereabouts and abduction, Uzushio declared war on Konoha."

"I don't blame them…why didn't anybody tell Uzushio about what happened?" Anko questioned.

Kakashi shrugged, "Danzo and the elders believed that the Uzumaki Clan couldn't be trusted and just wanted Kushina back so they could conquer Konoha. This led to rising tensions until finally Sandaime-sama was forced to order the complete annihilation of the Uzumaki Clan."

"So we wiped out an entire clan because they were retaliating against us for killing their leader and abducting their heir?" Anko asked disbelievingly.

"It's very sad to think about…but in the end it was necessary. Uzushio could not be trusted with Kyuubi after Mito transformed into the nine tails," Yamato stated.

"Why would she attempt to destroy her husband's village and people though?" Anko asked skeptically.

"Nobody knows…some say she was corrupted by Kyuubi, and others claim that she was just power hungry. It is irrelevant in the end however…" Kakashi noted.

"Technically, the Uzumaki Clan isn't completely destroyed...there are a few members left living in other countries," Yamato added.

"Wow…I wonder what the fox kid would say if he found out about this?" Anko thought aloud.

Kakashi shook his head with a worried look behind his mask, "Naruto must never be allowed to find out. That's the whole point of this mission…we need to destroy all of the evidence to prevent it. He wouldn't understand…"

Suddenly, another Anbu member ran up the nearby stairs, "Kakashi-senpai, I found something interesting here!"

The Anbu member handed Kakashi a black covered journal. The masked copy nin eyed it curiously as he opened the front page. Upon reading the top of the page he was shocked, "Zabuza's Journal…this might be useful."

"Well at least something beneficial came out of this colossal waste of time," Anko sighed.

Kakashi pocketed the journal and looked towards the Anbu member who brought it to him, "Good work…get the rest of your team to keep searching. Make sure to be thorough."

The man nodded and ran back downstairs.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke's training had been developing nicely. She had been working harder at her lightning training, but still had a long way to go.

The Uchiha's mind had been solely focused on training for the past four days. She hadn't even left the Uchiha Compound during this time. The raven haired girl panted heavily as she collapsed to the ground. She added more to her resistance training yesterday. It made everything much more exhausting.

Nevertheless, Sasuke kept doing it because she wasn't satisfied with her current speed.

The girl rolled onto her back and stared at the sky as she panted heavily. She saw a heart shaped cloud floating directly overhead. This instantly caused her to get angry and jump back up.

Sasuke sighed as she shook her head, '_There must be some way I can become stronger…wait, didn't father have a scroll with a list of Uchiha specialty jutsus on it? I need to go find that!_'

The raven haired girl ran into her house nearby and into her parents' room. She rarely went in there after the massacre. The image of Itachi standing over her dead parents never went away. She timidly walked into the room and looked around for any kind of chest of vault.

She felt her stomach turn as she looked at the floor. It still had bloodstains in it…they never went away. Sasuke stepped over them and spotted her father's own personal desk. As she approached it, she saw a scroll sitting on top.

Sasuke picked up the scroll and opened it. '_This is definitely what I am looking for._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Team ten was chilling at their training ground in their usual carefree manner waiting for Asuma to arrive. Shikamaru shook his head and sighed deeply as he stared at the sky, "Another boring, pointless day…"

Chouji who was eating a bag of potato chips nodded in agreement, "I am bored of these D rank missions."

Ino sighed at the two and shook her head, "Guys, the chunin exams are coming up and you're not even training of anything!"

"Stop being so troublesome, Ino…" Shikamaru sighed as he stared at the cloudy sky. The blonde got annoyed and cracked her fists, "You two are so damn lazy! Even Naruto makes you two look bad!"

This caused the two of them to eye the girl curiously. Shikamaru sat up and placed a hand on his chin, "He's so troublesome…"

"Why does Asuma-sensei always compare us to him?" Chouji asked confused as he finished his chips. Shikamaru shrugged carelessly, "Maybe he's trying to insult us or something for being lazy."

Just then, a bearded jounin spoke up from behind the shadow user, "No, I compare you three to him, because Naruto is one of the best genin in Konoha. You could learn a lot if you had his spirit."

This caused all three members of team ten to perk up with confused looks on their faces. Shikamaru shook his head and sighed, "Do you even know how much of an idiot he is Asuma-sensei?"

The jounin laughed in response, "Believe what you will kids…but you'll be in for one hell of a surprise when you see him at the chunin exams."

"How do you even know Naruto?" Ino demanded. Asuma shrugged at the girl, "No need to concern yourself with that…I'm not going to say anything until Naruto himself decides to."

"I have to know now!" Chouji shouted comically. "You must be smoking something funny if you think Naruto is the best genin in Konoha, Asuma-sensei. I mean he's a nice guy and all, but he is a troublesome idiot," Shikamaru muttered.

"Maybe you three should get to know him…he is a lot more than he appears to be," Asuma responded.

"Tell me about it…I ran into him at the Dango stand the other day and he seemed so different," Ino said distantly as she remembered the embarrassing events several days ago.

"So what are we going to do today?" Shikamaru changed the subject.

"Train for the chunin exams…what else?" Asuma laughed.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru shot back.

"I'll show you troublesome…" Asuma laughed causing the three genin to look concerned.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kakashi's Anbu squad finally finished demolishing the Uzumaki Compound after three long days of salvaging and transporting every last piece of evidence.

At first everybody was happy about finishing early, but then they were disappointed when they found a map revealing two additional bunkers. Currently, the team was halfway through the first bunker and were dumping a majority of the building off the nearby Cliffside.

As this was going on, Kakashi lazily read the first entry in Zabuza's journal which he had acquired three days ago"

_I decided to start writing down my thoughts in this stupid journal. Life really sucks right now…me and my henchmen were unable to kill Yagura and had to flee the village. Not really what I was expecting, but what can I do now?_

_It's that stupid bitch Mei's fault! I would have killed Yagura if she hadn't shown up. There's just no way that I could stand a chance against lava and shit…I mean where the fuck does somebody learn how to do that? I guess it has to be some sort of bloodline, but I have absolutely no idea what Clan can do that._

_I've never heard of a Terumi Clan, so I'm guessing that isn't really Mei's name. It doesn't matter in the end though…I just want to kill that stupid red headed bitch._

_At any rate, Kirigakure is a lost cause now and so is my hope for becoming Mizukage. Whatever…I don't need some stupid comrades and some stupid village to hold me back anyways._

_Now there's the question of what the hell am I going to do? I have given it a fair amount of thought and I suppose I'll just start traveling and hope for the best. I'm a missing nin now and a former swordsman of the mist so I'll have a lot of people after me. _

_I suppose that maybe I should go to the Land of Snow or someplace similar and find a place to lay low._

Kakashi found the first entry to be rather interesting. He was particularly curious about the woman Zabuza mentioned.

'_Lava is an Uzumaki bloodline trait and I am pretty sure most people from this clan have red hair…this woman must be a member of the Uzumaki Clan. I wonder what she's doing in Kiri though?_' Kakashi wondered as he continued reading.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto's training had been exhausting to say the least. He had almost forgotten how difficult it was to train with shadow clones. Thankfully though, it paid off for the boy. In the past week he successfully managed to perform his new jutsus.

Even though they still needed work, the blonde had mastered the essential basics and only required more practice. Naruto barely slept during his time in the Forest of Death. The location he was at was heavily covered by trees in an open clearing making it extremely dark.

Of course the glowing flashes of an army of clones practicing jutsus managed to light the clearing up.

In the past week, Naruto managed to find a place to eat and drink. Not far from his clearing, was a small shaded stream with crystal clear water.

This stream was full of fish which is the thing that the blonde had been eating for the past several days. As much as he enjoyed his own outdoor cooking, Naruto was completely sick of eating fish for breakfast lunch and dinner for seven days straight.

Sadly, he knew that he would have to do so for another week. Naruto sighed deeply as he pulled a skewered fish off of his fire. He ate the fish slowly as he watched his clones train endlessly. Naruto made a point to mass dispel them every couple hours so he wouldn't kill himself or end up in a coma from overuse.

This made him extremely tired, but the blonde's unstoppable stamina continued to prevail. As he finished eating his fish, Naruto started channeling a large Rasengan. It took a bit of concentration, but he managed to bolster its size considerably.

It was decent progress, but not nearly enough. Naruto wanted his Rasengan to have more of a flare to it. '_I wish Jiraiya-sensei was in the village…he said that it was possible to use elemental chakra in Rasengan, but I have no clue how that would work._'

The blonde began to sweat profusely as he started to channel another Rasengan in his other hand. It took intense concentration but after a few moments he managed to create a second ball of chakra.

"**You need to learn your bloodlines now…your Rasengan is already proficient for the time being."**

Kyuubi's interruption caused Naruto to lose his focus causing the Rasengan in his right hand to dissipate. '_Damn it Kyuubi, you messed me up!_'

"**It's for your own good…you need to learn how to deal with distractions like that if you are in a real fight."**

'_Yeah because you are the greatest teacher of all time…' _Naruto replied sarcastically.

Naruto sat down again and opened the scroll revealing his bloodline abilities in it. '_Well I guess I should try the first one on the list. Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu_.' (Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique)

The jinchuuriki stood up and went through the appropriate hand seals. Naruto launched his attack but was shocked as it backfired. This caused an explosion blasting the boy against a tree. His clones were all dispelled upon his impact.

Naruto stood up and dusted himself off as he laughed, '_Well, talk about your royal backfires_.'

"**You stupid idiot…you combined wind chakra with that attack not earth! Do it again this time…and try not to blow yourself up!"**

The genin sighed as he went through the hand seals again, "Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu!" (Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique) This time, Naruto managed to successfully combine fire and earth into lava. Although there was a slight problem.

Naruto spit out some lava but it solidified as soon as it shot out of his mouth. The boy started coughing as he cleared his throat from the hardened lava. '_Damn…what am I doing wrong_?'

"**It is important to keep both elements properly balanced at all times until you successfully launch your attack. If you use too much earth then that shit will happen, but if you use too much fire then you'll end up melting your own face off."**

'_This sucks…I didn't think it was going to be this difficult!'_

"**Cry me a river bitch…complaining isn't going to make you any better at it."**

Naruto sighed deeply, '_I guess you're right_.'

The bijou laughed maniacally in Naruto's mind, **"I am always right!"**

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto shouted summoning an enormous number of shadow clones. He ordered them to start practicing as he himself read over the scroll again.

The genin skimmed over the writing until something interesting caught his eye at the bottom, '_To properly use Lava, one must maintain perfect balance of both chakra types. Releasing both at the same time is dangerous…release fire chakra first and combine it with earth. Earth is supplementary in the combination._'

"**Hahahahaha! They should put warning labels on these for people like you."**

Naruto shook his head and laughed, '_Well, that ought to make this a bit easier._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next three days were very uneventful for most of Konoha. Of course there were a few exceptions such as Sasuke. She had been hard at work practicing the Uchiha Clan's specialty fire jutsus.

They weren't too difficult for Sasuke due to her affinity for fire and natural talent with Fire jutsus. Sasuke was standing in the Uchiha training ground facing a large wall. This wall was completely charred and covered in burns.

Sasuke had her Sharingan activated as she went through several hand seals, "Katon Karyuu Endan!" (Fire Dragon Flame Blast) A dragon shaped stream of fire shot from the girl's mouth and completely incinerated the wall. Wasting no time, the girl leapt back and performed another jutsu, "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" (Balsam spread fire)

A flurry of fire balls launched from the girls' mouth as she further devastated the wall. After the blast subsided, Sasuke took a deep breath. The girl had become slightly frustrated with lightning and had been working more on her fire attacks lately.

Granted, Sasuke spent about half the day on Lightning training still. Nevertheless, the Uchiha's mastery over her clan's fire jutsus was nothing short of amazing. The porcelain skinned girl sat down against the wall and took a break for the first time today.

She sighed deeply as she stared at the ground, '_Ten straight days of training and I'm still not good enough! I got the hang of every stupid fire jutsu on that scroll but it still isn't enough. There's got to be a way I can do more with fire._'

Just then, an interesting idea came to the raven haired girl's mind. '_I wonder if it's possible to combine fire chakra with taijutsu…_'

Instantly leaping to her feet, Sasuke went through a series of ideas in her head. She took a deep breath and held in it as she channeled her chakra. Suddenly, the girl started to go through hand seals and spit a small amount of fire from her mouth.

Concentrating hard on it, Sasuke managed to cover her hands and feet in fire. '_Focus…one mistake and I'll end up in burn ward._' Sasuke kept her meditated mind focused as she channeled more chakra into the fires.

The girl then opened her eyes and kicked towards the wall sending a large blast of fire from her foot. '_Now this is what I am talking about!_' Sasuke sent a punch towards the wall and launched another blast of fire.

'_This is crazy…why didn't I ever think of this before?_' Sasuke thought as she began to cycle through a taijutsu exercise launching fire with each punch and kick. The Uchiha took a deep breath and then exhaled spitting an inferno from her mouth.

Suddenly a lapse of concentration caused the fire around her hands and feet to dissipate. She knelt down and panted heavily afterwards. '_Damn…I lost it._' Sasuke stood up and took deep breaths.

'_How did I do that again? Shit…I need to try it again._' Sasuke managed to redo her previous feat, but would periodically lose it. This continued for another hour until the girl was completely exhausted and out of chakra. Sasuke collapsed on the ground and rolled on her back as she panted heavily.

'_Wow, that takes a lot out of me…I really need to get better at doing that. I am burning way too much chakra with it right now._' The girl sighed deeply, '_I suppose I should keep trying. Lightning is a lost cause until Kakashi-sensei gets back…I am going to need his assistance with it._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Over in Wave Country, the Anbu squad was working on demolishing the second bunker. They didn't find anything useful in the buildings and quickly began to tear it down.

During the past few days, Kakashi had been reading more of Zabuza's journal and learned a great deal about the man and his minions. Although that wasn't what interested the copy nin. The thing that he found fascinating was the entry where Zabuza first took refuge in the Uzumaki Compound:

_We barely managed to avoid an bunch of hunter nin back in Tea Country. It's been tough with the constant traveling, but me and my gang are rather good as bounty hunters. The work is good and nobody asks questions. _

_Recently, this little bitch of a criminal lord named Gato sent a personal request for me. I decided to accept it and came to meet the guy in Wave Country. This entire country is just fucked up. I hear some powerful clan used to live here but whoever they were…they're long gone now._

_I swear you'll find more cheer in a graveyard than you will in this gods forsaken country._

_So anyways, after our long boring trip, we found a nice little place to set up base over here. _

_I should probably check the place for valuables before those bandits get here…I sent the Demon Brothers to tell Gato to meet me here. In the mean time I'll just check out the treasures this place is probably loaded with._

After reading page, Kakashi nodded his head as he began to understand Zabuza's entire role in Wave Country. The Copy nin flipped to the next page and began to read the next entry as his curiosity began to soar:

_Well…this place is more than just some piece of shit ruined building. It is apparently the remains of a compound that belonged to a group called the Uzumaki Clan. I found a ton of interesting stuff here…also I located a scroll about the Uzumaki bloodlines._

_Lava and Boil…those are two of the main Uzumaki bloodlines. It all makes sense to me now…Mei Terumi is a survivor of this dead clan. Very interesting…although I can't quite figure out what the hell happened to this place._

_The secrets shrouded around these remains are just astonishing. There's a portrait of a woman in the main room. I was surprised to find out that this clan is married into the Hokage line…that would make them close allies with Konoha I am assuming._

_Although since this place is close to Konoha…I wouldn't doubt if something happened between the two. Stupid Konoha ninjas are selfish, tyrannical, and oblivious. They started all the wars with Kumo and Iwa so I wouldn't doubt if they did the same to this place._

_They always go on about their stupid will of fire and try to justify every war they start. It sickens me how ignorant Konoha has become. Those people actually think that they are the good guys. Judging by the widespread use of fire and the few Konoha headbands I located, I am inclined to believe that Konoha wiped out this place. These are the remains of Uzushio._

_Such a shame too…judging by the contents of this bloodline scroll and my previous encounters with Mei, I wouldn't doubt if this was one of the most powerful clans ever. I am definitely keeping this scroll…maybe it'll come in handy._

Kakashi was completely astonished by Zabuza's intuition. Another thing that shocked him was the mention of a surviving Uzumaki scroll.

'_Damn…we didn't find any scroll back at the compound. Zabuza must still have it on him. Shit…maybe I should have killed him._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura quietly walked through the village with her mind wandering in thought, '_It's been a week and a half, and I haven't seen Naruto at all. I wonder where he is?_' Ever since her little lunch date with Naruto, Sakura hadn't been the same.

She felt a sense of determination from her team mate. The fact that a guy like Naruto could work hard to become strong was something that genuinely impressed Sakura. The pink haired girl still remembered the events of Wave Country clearly in her mind.

Sakura felt her heart skip a beat every time she relived the memory of Naruto tackling her to the ground saving her life. '_I would have been dead right now if it wasn't for him_.'

Images of the boy fighting off Zabuza without an ounce of fear caused her to smile. Without realizing it, she lost herself in her memory and ended up waking straight into somebody.

"Hey watch it!" A girl's voice sounded loudly bringing Sakura back to reality. "Oh Sakura, it's you!" the girl said as she eyed the flustered Sakura.

"Where have you been Sakura?" Ino laughed.

"Oh sorry, Ino, I was just thinking is all," Sakura replied. "Why are you blushing?" Ino giggled at her friend causing Sakura to look confused.

"Was I blushing?" Sakura asked.

"Are you kidding me? You looked like you were lost in some perverted daydream or something…so Sakura, what's his name?" Ino demanded.

The two girls conversation caught a few passing onlookers' attention. Sakura looked around embarrassed and scratched the back of her head, "Hehehe…well I would rather not discuss it in public."

"Fine, come to my house…I've got to hear this!" Ino squealed in delight as she took Sakura hand and led her down the street.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Upon reaching Ino's home, the two girls made their way upstairs into Ino's room. The blonde closed the door quickly and anxiously stared at Sakura who was now seated on her bed.

"So…tell me who is he!" Ino asked curiously.

The pink haired girl remained silent for a moment, '_I can't tell Ino that I like Naruto…she'll end up interfering like she does with all the guys I like._'

"Well I would rather keep it anonymous, but all I am going to say is that you don't know him," Sakura finally said.

Ino looked irritated, "Aw c'mon, Sakura, you can tell me. I won't say anything to him, I just want to know who he is."

"Like I said, you don't know him…" Sakura repeated.

"Then tell me what his name is? I might know him…" Ino shot back as she sprawled out on her bed staring at Sakura.

"Listen, Ino, I'll tell you when I feel more comfortable about it alright? There's just a lot of weirdness involved and I don't want to go off assuming anything until I am certain he likes me back," Sakura responded.

"You're no fun…aw well whatever. Anyways, Sakura how has your team been lately?" Ino asked curiously.

"I haven't seen any of them in well over a week…Naruto and Sasuke are both off training by themselves and Kakashi-sensei is on a mission," Sakura answered.

Ino looked confused, "What? Why would your sensei leave you guys by yourselves when the chunin exams are weeks away!"

Sakura shrugged, "I don't know why he went on the mission. He said it was urgent or something. Although Kakashi-sensei said that the three of us were probably ready for the chunin exams already."

"So tell me more about Naruto? He seems so different lately. Not to mention Asuma-sensei won't shut up about how great he is," Ino sighed.

Sakura was surprised to hear Naruto's name but regained her composure. "Well yeah, Naruto is very talented. He is able to do elemental jutsus and all sorts of cool stuff."

Ino cocked her head at the mention, "Haha, who would have thought…although I gotta say he looked really hot in that outfit I saw him wearing a week ago."

'_What the hell is she talking about_?' Inner Sakura yelled.

"When did you see Naruto last week?" Sakura asked curiously. Ino looked down and blushed at the mention, "Well it was really weird…I kind of had breakfast with him at this Dango Restaurant."

"How did that happen?" Sakura questioned.

"I don't know…it just sort of did. Although, he got up and left in the middle of it. I tried to tackle him but he pulled a blade on me. It kind of turned me on…I didn't know Naruto was such a bad boy."

Sakura looked petrified at the mention, '_Damn it Ino…why do you always like the same boys that I do_!'

Ino giggled as she looked at her friend, "You should put in a good word for me or something…I wouldn't mind dating the guy!"

Inner Sakura sounded like a dragon right now, '_WHAT THE HELL DID SHE JUST ASK ME TO DO?_'

The pink haired girl nodded her head, "I guess I could say something to him…but I haven't seen him in days so it might be a while."

"Want to spend the night Sakura? We should share stories about our team mates…I want to hear more about Naruto and Sasuke," Ino suggested.

"Well…I guess," Sakura agreed causing Ino to hug her.

"So tell me about Sasuke? It must be pretty strange working with the number one rookie genin all the time."

"Sasuke is a complete nutcase…she is a psychotic, emo bitch," Sakura gossiped. Ino's face lit up at the mention, "Yeah, she always got on my nerves too. She thinks she's so much better than everybody else."

Sakura nodded in agreement, "Tell me about it."

"How do you and Naruto get along with her?" Ino asked.

Sakura sighed heavily as she answered, "Well, for some reason she and Naruto get along most of the time which is shocking to be honest. I on the other hand rarely even get the courtesy of hearing Sasuke talk to me directly."

"Wow…she likes Naruto more than you? Damn…I thought Sasuke hated Naruto," Ino responded. The pink haired girl shrugged, "I have no idea what the deal is between them…although I think Naruto is better off avoiding her."

"I think everybody is better off doing that. You know I hear she lives all by herself in the Uchiha Compound after her clan got slaughtered," Ino said.

Sakura looked apathetic at the mention of it, "It was a tragedy no doubt, but it doesn't give her an excuse to be so mean to people."

"True enough…" Ino agreed.

"So, Sakura…tell me more about Naruto. I mean since you're his team mate and all I'm sure you've gotten to know him a bit," Ino requested.

Sakura sighed and shook her head, "Naruto's a mystery…he rarely tells anybody anything and always avoids questions about himself. I barely know anything beyond the fact that he said he was an orphan."

Ino looked unconvinced, "You've got to have more juicy information than that…"

Sakura didn't bother answering as she stood up, "On second thought, I should probably get going. Take care Ino."

The blonde looked surprised, "What? Where are you going Sakura?"

"Home." without another word, Sakura rushed out of the room leaving Ino alone.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura was fairly annoyed by her earlier encounter with Ino. She didn't like the way that Ino always seemed to move in on the guys that she liked.

The girl was glad that she didn't tell Ino about her crush on Naruto otherwise it would have created a very awkward situation.

Although Sakura found herself torn two ways from this new dilemma. On one side, she didn't want to jeopardize her friendship with Ino, and on the other Sakura selfishly believed that Naruto should date herself instead.

It was a frustrating situation to say the least. All of a sudden, something clicked in Sakura's head, '_Wait a minute…I'm jealous that somebody else likes Naruto. Does this mean that I like Naruto that way?_'

Sakura's realization towards the situation caused her to reflect more on the way she felt about her blonde team mate. '_Well…I never really liked him much until we became team mates. He is such a nice guy and is always cheering me on_.'

A small smile graced Sakura's lips as she thought more, '_He's always asking me out on dates and I turn him down…maybe I should date him. I mean the guy saved my life and he is really caring and strong_.'

Sakura had more of a mental attraction to Naruto. She did think the boy was cute in his own way, but the real thing that she liked most about Naruto was his genuine, caring personality.

Without realizing it, Sakura was beaming at the thought of the boy's smile. '_I can't believe I am thinking this…I should date Naruto._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kakashi was still reading Zabuza's journal. Most of the following entries talked a lot about the swordsman's encounters with Gato and odd jobs the man had him do. Of course it took a while, but Kakashi finally managed to locate an interesting part again:

_So I ran into these Konoha nin while trying to kill the bridge builder today. __I was expecting an easy slaughter, but they put up a good fight for a bunch of wimps._

_I found out that the leader of this group was the famous copy nin Kakashi. I wasn't expecting Konoha to send him alone on this mission…but I almost couldn't believe that it was just him and a genin squad. That is almost insulting in my opinion._

_Although after fighting them I am disinclined to think so. It just blew my mind how strong those genin kids were. I was thoroughly impressed by this blonde boy in the bunch. The kid had the bluest eyes I've ever seen and these strange marks on his face. I wasn't sure what they were, but they looked like whisker marks._

_He was performing jutsus way out of normal range for somebody his age. Not only that but the kid was capable of performing two different types of elemental jutsus…wind and water. He would have been a jounin by now if he lived in Kiri. _

_Although he wasn't the only one that surprised me. There was this girl that blew fire at me. It isn't that surprising to see somebody from Konoha using fire jutsus, but it seemed way more powerful than it should have been for somebody that age. _

_In the end I had to get the hell out of there. I am definitely going to need Haku's help if I want to take down the copy nin and these super genin kids…_

Kakashi quietly laughed at Zabuza's writing.

He couldn't help but find Zabuza's amazement to be comical.

'_I'm almost done with this journal…I might as well finish reading it.' _Kakashi thought as he sat down against a tree and began to read the final entry:

_Somebody broke into my room today…I don't know how it happened, but I know for a fact that it had to have been a ninja because all of the stairs were covered and the window had been busted open._

_One of Gato's goons decorated the rocks at the bottom. It wasn't a pretty sight… _

_I have no idea how this could have happened. Haku and I left the room to investigate some supposed demon sighting until we heard a loud crash._

_I wasn't gone for two minutes and when I got back, the window was busted and the vault had been robbed. I have no idea who could have done this…but whoever they were, they disappeared fast. I suppose it might be possible that a surviving Uzumaki Clan member stole the scroll…but I have no clue._

_Judging by the professional extraction, I am guessing that it had to be Mei or some other member of the Uzumaki Clan that I don't know. At any rate…whoever has that scroll didn't steal it to sell. I had priceless jewelry and all sorts of trinkets in that vault and the scroll was the only thing taken._

_Well at least I can take comfort in the fact that whoever has the scroll now will put it to good use…_

Kakashi's eye shot open horrified upon reading the final entry in Zabuza's journal.

'_No…could Naruto have done that? He did say he wasn't in the Compound for long…but why wouldn't he ask me about the Uzumaki Clan then? None of this makes sense…I hope the Hokage knows what to do_.'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Finally after a long trip, Kakashi and his squad were finally home. The jounin decided to keep the contents of the journal to himself. He knew that he couldn't tell the others without revealing the confidential encounter his team had with Zabuza.

The silver haired jounin was very distressed by the situation. His mind kept wandering to Naruto and he couldn't fathom any logical reason as to how or why the boy would have stolen the scroll and not told anybody.

'_Even if he was capable of stealing it…I know for a fact that Naruto would ask me something about the Uzumaki Clan. Same thing when Zabuza mentioned it in our battle on the bridge. Something just doesn't add up…Naruto has no reason to distrust me._'

Kakashi had been working up several theories in his head about the situation, but none of them sat well with the jounin. His first theory was that Naruto was simply innocent and oblivious about the whole situation and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The second theory was one that the jounin did not like at all. It was possible that Naruto stole the scroll for himself and knew a lot more about his clan than anybody thought.

This second theory was terrifying to Kakashi. Although it was also the one that he found to be the least likely due to Naruto's brash pride and kind, honorable nature. The jounin simply couldn't fathom Naruto keeping something like that to himself.

The final theory that Kakashi came up with was one that seemed the most likely. Naruto didn't know the truth about his clan but managed to steal the scroll.

The third theory seemed the most reasonable to Kakashi due to the blonde's oblivious attitude towards Zabuza's remark about the Uzumaki Clan and Naruto's strange behavior.

He didn't want to believe it, but Kakashi was convinced that Naruto was the thief of the Uzumaki Scroll.

'_The Hokage is going to kill me when hears about this_…'

It had been a long two weeks but the Anbu squad were finally in Konoha again. It was dark outside, around midnight, so almost everybody decided to head home.

Well everybody except Kakashi and Yamato. The man followed Kakashi as they headed towards the Hokage's office.

"Are you feeling okay senpai?" Yamato asked concerned.

Kakashi shook his head and sighed, "No…No I'm not okay. The Hokage is going to kill me after he finds out about what happened."

Yamato looked confused, "What do you mean? Our mission was a success."

Kakashi shrugged, "Well feel free to stand in and listen to me explain it to him. Although I'll warn you…he's probably going to make you clean up my corpse."

"That bad huh?" Yamato asked.

The jounin nodded his head, "You have no idea how bad…"

The two men continued onward to the Hokage's Tower.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sarutobi stared blankly at Kakashi as he finished reading the journal entry about the Uzumaki scroll.

For the first time ever, Kakashi saw the man genuinely pissed off. Sarutobi growled in irritation as he chucked the book at a wall, "So what you're saying is you think Naruto has this scroll then?"

Kakashi nodded slightly afraid, "Yes…It's just a theory, but judging on the evidence and Naruto's odd behavior on that mission it seems likely."

Sarutobi sighed as he leaned back in his chair, "I was afraid of this…but if what you say is true, then Naruto knows that he is a member of a clan. However, this may still be salvageable since he didn't learn anything about his clan other than their bloodline."

"What do you want me to do Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked sincerely apologetic.

"Nothing Kakashi…Naruto obviously doesn't trust you if he kept that scroll to himself. I am going to need somebody else to keep an eye on that boy when he isn't with you or his team," The hokage stated as he looked over at the man behind Kakashi.

Kakashi turned around and looked at Yamato.

"Yamato…I want you to watch Naruto. Keep a close eye for any suspicious activity the boy does and try to find evidence of him using this scroll," The Hokage ordered.

Yamato nodded his head, "Of course Hokage-sama."

"Couldn't you use your crystal ball to do that?" Kakashi asked curiously. The Hokage shook his head, "No…I have been unable to locate Naruto with it which is even more of a reason for you to find out where he has been."

"How could Naruto be immune to the crystal ball?" Yamato asked perplexed.

The Hokage sighed, "There are ways to keep it away…one of which is knowing of its existence and hiding your power level whenever it searches for you."

"It has been two weeks…Naruto should show up to Team Seven's training ground tomorrow. Look for him then Yamato," Kakashi added.

The wood user nodded his head, "Very well…I'll be discreet and respectful."

The Hokage nodded his head as he stood up and walked to the window, "You two are dismissed…report any unusual activity to me."

Both men nodded as they left in a puff of smoke.

Sarutobi began to smoke his pipe and sighed, "I am getting too old for this shit…"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke plopped down on her bed and let out a long exhale. She rolled onto her back and began to climb underneath the sheets.

After getting comfortable the Uchiha yawned sleepily. She had been hard at work trying to perfect her fire nintaijutsu as she had come to call it. The girl managed to keep a consistency to her new ability now, but it still needed work.

Nevertheless, it was still quite devastating and Sasuke couldn't wait to unveil it against an unsuspecting foe in the chunin exams. As for the Uchiha's other training, she was moderately proficient at the clan's fire jutsus and practiced them everyday.

Sasuke's lightning training on the other hand was something she had hit a wall with. She simply knew too little about it to replicate it consistently. The girl decided that she would ask Kakashi for assistance in the matter.

The greatest thing that Sasuke's endless training had accomplished was it drastically improved her speed. Sasuke's resistance training had paid off and allowed her to keep up with her Sharingan. Overall, the girl was one step closer to being the best genin.

As her mind crossed that thought it drifted to a familiar whiskered face. Naruto's face flashed through the girl's mind as she relived a vivid memory of sitting under a tree next to him.

Despite her usual bitchy attitude on the subject, Sasuke quietly gave in to her wandering mind as she began to think about Naruto, '_I should apologize to him…Naruto was just trying to be my friend and I spit his generosity right back in his face_.'

The Uchiha's never ending training during the days usually kept the blonde boy out of her thoughts, but at night she couldn't think of anything but Naruto.

Some nights such as tonight, Sasuke would silently lie awake and think about all the things she could say or do to make Naruto like her again. She would push Itachi, and every other problem out the window and just think about him.

'_I could apologize…and maybe try to explain my situation to him. Naruto's an orphan after all…he's sure to understand me._'

Just then that interesting thought began to take shape as Sasuke saw herself sitting next to Naruto and apologizing. The next thing that happened was the girl pounced on him and began to kiss him. Sasuke quietly drifted to sleep as this happy image flooded her mind.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto quietly snuck out of the Forest of Death and was on his way home. The boy was very crafty and made sure nobody saw him until he appeared on a main street. He then casually made his way home through the dying late night crowds.

The past two weeks were very beneficial for Naruto. He learned some new jutsus and had finally gotten the hang of his bloodline. Although it was anything but easy. Naruto would occasionally mess up his jutsus or have them backfire, but thanks to Kyuubi's chakra, he didn't die or scar from the several burns he acquired.

He was anything but a master at it, but nevertheless, Naruto could officially create Lava and steam. This was a very nice addition to his attack variety and he was proud of himself for his hard work.

The boy also managed to get more practice with his Rasengan in, but unfortunately didn't get to experiment with it like he had wanted to.

Overall, Naruto's private training was something that he couldn't wait to unveil at the chunin exams. '_I am going to use lava in the finals and blow everybody's mind! They'll all start respecting me once they see how strong I have become…_'

Upon hearing Naruto's thought, Kyuubi burst out laughing, **"Yeah right…the day these people start respecting you is the day that I start using your name. Face it kit, when they see your display, they are going to be terrified of you. Hopefully even try to kill you…that'll give you an excuse."**

'_An excuse for what?' _

"**To go on a killing spree…"**

'_For that last time Kyuubi…I am not going to go on a killing spree! I am not a monster demon fox hell bent on destroying everything that breathes.'_

"**Maybe you should be…maybe I know things that you don't. You're naïve…the world doesn't work the way you think it does and this village isn't innocent in any way whatsoever. You'll just have to learn that the hard way I guess…"**

'_I'll take my chances with Konoha, Kyuubi…'_

"**I can't wait until the walls come crashing down…you're going to cry for days and I will be laughing in your head because I told you it was coming."**

'_What the hell are you talking about? I am going to become the Hokage one day. You are such a pessimist.'_

"**A pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist…one day you are going to wake up and understand that." **(A/N: Damn right I just stole that line from Mass Effect!) 

Before Naruto could respond, he bumped into somebody on the street.

It was a civilian girl probably a few years younger than Naruto himself. Upon realizing his action, Naruto caught her before she hit the ground.

The girl looked relieved that Naruto caught her. "Sorry about that…I wasn't watching where I was going," Naruto apologized as he inspected the girl.

She had white eyes and brunette hair. He didn't recognize her, but he upon seeing her eyes he instantly figured she was a Hyuuga.

"It's okay…thanks for catching me," The girl said as Naruto set her back down. Naruto nodded his head and smiled, "No problem…by the way you're part of the Hyuuga Clan right?"

The girl nodded her head and quietly eyed the boy. "Well, I was just wondering if you knew a girl named Hinata? Is she feeling any better? She fainted the last time I saw her."

The girl looked curious, "How do you know my sister?"

"She's a fellow genin…I also used to see her in the academy."

Hanabi thought for a moment, "Well I should get going…farewell."

Naruto nodded his head as he waved at her, "Tell Hinata, that Naruto hopes she is feeling better."

The girl stopped in her tracks and turned around, "You're Naruto?"

The blonde smiled widely, "Yep, the one and only! You know me?"

The girl simply shook her head, "No…" Without another word Hanabi left.

Naruto was a bit confused by the girl's well mannered behavior but pushed it aside as he continued home.

He passed several stores but nothing very interesting occurred until all of a sudden a fist came flying at Naruto's face.

He easily caught it and threw the assailant over his shoulder pressing his knife against the person's throat as he knelt on top of them.

Everybody in the street looked shocked by the action. "What the hell?" Naruto inspected this assailant closer and noticed it was one of the unnamed genin from the academy.

Out of the twenty or so students that passed the exams in the academy, only nine became official genin. This poor chump was one of the people that didn't make it.

"Hey watch yourself Uzumaki!" Another voice called out. Two more academy students ran at him with kunais drawn. Without a moment's hesitation, Naruto easily disarmed and grounded both boys with ease.

The one who previously attacked him suddenly charged him from behind until Naruto spun around and roundhouse kicked the boy in the face.

Afterwards, all three academy students were crying in pain as they held different part of their injured bodies.

Passing civilians began to shout upon seeing the act and began to point and yell at Naruto.

"**Where's your fucking optimism now? This is the nature of Konoha…behind all of the pretty views and fake bullshit, these people are petty."**

'_What the fuck…I can't defend myself?'_

"**Maybe you should have scorched these kids with lava…that would give the villagers an excuse to never come near you again Hahahaha!"**

"Hey! Get away from those kids you monster!" one woman shouted as she tried to get in Naruto's face. The growing crowd began to shout random obscenities until suddenly a jounin landed in front of Naruto, "These three just assaulted him…I saw so myself. You people need to move along!"

The crowd reluctantly backed away upon seeing the infamous purple haired Anko standing in front of Naruto. She turned around and shook her head, "You alright kid?"

Naruto nodded his head, "Yeah I'm fine…although those three are going to be bruised for a while."

Anko laughed at his comment, "Hahaha, well anyways kid, move along before their parents show up and cause a scene. I'll take care of this for you."

"Wow thanks…" Naruto said kind of surprised. Anko smiled as she winked, "Take care kiddo, try not to get jumped by any more academy students."

"**The Next time you get jumped you are going to kill them without an ounce of pity!"**

"Next time I get jumped I am killing the person who does it!" Naruto said in a rather annoyed manner as he kicked one of the boys in the face before stepping on another's neck.

Anko simply laughed at his attitude as she shook her head, _'I just can't wait to do paperwork on this_…'

Naruto's good mood was completely ruined by the encounter he had with the small crowd of villagers.

He had a pissed look on his face as he shoved random gawking villagers to the ground on his walk home. Several people tried to threaten him, but due to the killing intent leaking from the blonde, most just fled as he made eye contact.

The whole walk Kyuubi kept droning on about the situation, **"Save your anger kit…wasting it on villagers is pointless."**

'_Why does something always go wrong? I mean I can't go for a fucking walk without something stupid like this happening?'_

"**You're a pariah…is it really that surprising? Consider it a gift. You are one of the few people who have the potential to see Konoha for what it really is…don't forget the events that occurred tonight. They are a prime example of the petty weaknesses that fill the hearts of these envious mortals."**

'_I just want to sleep in my bed…maybe tomorrow will be better.' _Naruto sighed as he walked through his front door.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next day, Naruto wasn't the first person to the training ground as usual. This time it was Sasuke. The Uchiha sat in Naruto's usual spot and sighed as she thought about how she was going to apologize to him.

'_I can't just keep ignoring him…Naruto is going to pass me by if I shut him out of my life. I can't let him end up with Sakura…that's just disgusting!_' Sasuke thought as she leaned against the tree.

Suddenly, the Uchiha heard a noise coming from the bridge and looked anxiously at it, '_Oh Naruto is finally here!_' Naruto casually walked across the bridge and noticed Sasuke sitting under their tree.

The raven haired girl eyed him as he walked up and sat down next to her. There was dead silence for a few minutes until finally both turned to speak:

"Naruto, I'm sorry."

"Sasuke, I'm sorry."

Upon hearing the other apologize their was an awkward silence between the two as they stared at one another.

Sasuke was the first to break their eye contact as she looked down shamefully, "I shouldn't have been such a bitch to you Naruto…you truly are a good team mate and you would have made a great friend."

The blonde was empathetic as he nodded, "I should have handled it better…I can understand what it's like to not trust somebody."

The girl looked at him and smiled, "I trust you Naruto…and I do want to be your friend."

Naruto was rather surprised to hear that from the girl. "Thanks Sasuke, it means a lot to hear you say that. I know you're the sole survivor of the Uchiha Clan…that's gotta be tough."

"Do you want to hear about it?" Sasuke asked shyly as she scooted closer to the blonde. He nodded his head, "Yes."

Sasuke took a deep breath before starting, "Well…the reason why I am so…weird I guess you could say, is because I need to avenge my clan. They were all brutally murdered by my brother Itachi…on the night it happened, he spared my life and told me that I needed to be strong and to hate him if I ever stood a chance at taking revenge. I am the way I am because I have to be!"

The Uchiha looked sad as a single tear fell down her face. Naruto put a hand on her shoulder and looked empathetically at the girl, "I'm sorry about your family Sasuke…I wish I could understand but I can't because I never had one."

Naruto wasn't expecting what came next. Sasuke suddenly embraced him in a hug and silently whispered, "We have each other, Naruto…"

Sasuke pulled away and the two stared at each other silently for a moment. The Uchiha girl was trying to work up her courage to kiss Naruto but to her utter surprise he kissed her.

It was a brief kiss, but Sasuke quickly pulled away in disbelief, "What the hell are you doing?" the girl demanded in a defensive manner as she pushed Naruto back. Naruto looked confused by her attitude, "I…I don't know."

Before Sasuke could apologize for her defensive outburst, a loud pink haired girl came charging across the bridge.

"NARUTO-KUN! Where have you been the last two weeks?" Sakura shouted as she ran over towards the blonde paying no heed to Sasuke. Naruto stood up and shrugged at the girl, "I was training Sakura…"

Sasuke nearly gagged at the way Naruto's name rolled off of Sakura's tongue. Something about the way the girl said it seemed venomous and repulsive.

The raven haired girl didn't bother giving Sakura any acknowledgement as she looked away bored, "Hmph."

Sasuke's change in attitude made Naruto believe that he made things awkward, '_Damn it…now Sasuke hates me again because I kissed her! Why does this crap always happen to me?_'

"So how's your training been going?" Sakura asked. Naruto shrugged again, "It's been uneventful."

"We should start training together Naruto! It would be fun!" Sakura suggested.

'_Why can't she just die? I hate this bitch so much!_' Sasuke thought as she glared daggers at the girl.

"I like training alone…it gives me time to meditate and reflect," Naruto said.

Sakura looked disappointed for a moment until a smile graced her lips, "Hey Naruto can I talk to you for a minute?"

He remained silent as he focused his gaze on her. Sakura briefly looked over towards Sasuke and back over to Naruto, "In private…"

The jinchuuriki sighed and nodded his head, "Alright, let's go…"

Sakura held Naruto's hand as she guided him a short distance back across the bridge. She made sure to stay within Sasuke's hearing range however.

As they crossed the bridge, Sakura grabbed Naruto other hand and began to smile as she eyed him cheerfully, "So…I was just thinking about you lately…and well…how would feel about being my boyfriend Naruto?"

The blonde was completely taken by surprise by Sakura's question. Upon hearing Sakura's request Sasuke's head jerked over towards the direction the two were at and she began to glare.

Naruto was silent for a moment as he looked across the bridge towards Sasuke. The Uchiha was glaring angrily the blonde as the two made eye contact.

"I don't know Sakura…I mean with the chunin exams so close and all the training we have to do…I don't think we'll have time for a relationship."

Sakura was not expecting that response and dropped Naruto's hands looking down sadly, "I thought you liked me Naruto…I like you too, so what's the problem?"

Naruto briefly made eye contact with Sasuke across the bridge. The girl looked away with an angry look on her face.

"It's not you…it's me. I am just not boyfriend material…" Naruto said as his mind wandered towards Sasuke.

"That's a load of crap…you are so nice and strong and you're always looking out for me. Why don't you want me?" The pink haired girl sadly looked to the ground as she turned to walk away.

She was about to start crying. "Wait Sakura!" The girl immediately turned around and hugged Naruto tightly before he even started speaking.

"Naruto, I know you want this…you can trust me," Sakura said quietly as she began to run her arms across the boy's back.

"I never said I didn't want to date you Sakura…I was just saying that you're better off with somebody else. Although if you insist upon it then I won't say no," Naruto responded.

Sasuke had never been more jealous in her entire life. She burned with envy as Sakura locked lips with Naruto. The Uchiha girl felt a hundred things at the moment and just couldn't watch the two so she ran away from the training ground.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well that was chapter four…I hope you guys and the girl or two enjoyed reading it.

Can you believe some random academy students would jump Naruto? Neither could I…

Poor Sasuke…she was so close…one small misinterpretation completely ruined her moment with Naruo. I know that might have been sad for some of you to read…but fear not, Sasuke will have her revenge in due time.

Yeah as for the whole Uzumaki Clan thing…Konoha is going to be in a sticky situation once Naruto finds out. When that mess hits the fan, things will be pretty interesting.

Anyways thanks for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

Well it seems a majority of my readers enjoyed the previous chapter. Good. Here's Chapter Five

**Chapter 5: Team Seven**

Sakura's kiss didn't last long because Naruto pulled away. The girl was confused by his actions as he began to walk away.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Sakura asked as she started following the boy.

"I…I just need some alone time. Tell Kakashi-sensei I am not feeling well," Naruto answered as he began to take off at high speed leaving a bewildered Sakura behind.

The pink haired girl was completely surprised by his behavior, '_What in the world is wrong with Naruto? I thought he liked me? Damn…what am I going to tell Kakashi-sensei?_'

Said jounin chose that exact moment to appear on the bridge right behind Sakura. "Hey Sakura, where is everybody this morning?"

The girl spun around fast and looked shocked to see Kakashi, "Sensei? You're here on time!"

Kakashi shrugged as he looked around, "Yes…I was anxious to speak with you three about some important matters this morning. Where are Naruto and Sasuke?"

Sakura shook her head confused, "I…I'm not sure. Sasuke left a few minutes ago and Naruto said he wasn't feeling well and left right before you got here."

'_Is there some drama going on between the three of them? I guess I'll have to ask Yamato later…_' Kakashi thought as he nodded his head at Sakura.

"Alright, well we should split up to find them…I need the three of you together for important news today. Sakura, I want you to go look for Sasuke and I will find Naruto," Kakashi said as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakura sighed once again as she was alone in the training ground, '_Sasuke…great psycho-girl might end up trying to kill me. I guess I should go check the Uchiha District._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto's impressive speed managed to get him back to his apartment in next to no time at all. The blonde landed on a rooftop adjacent to his balcony and noticed something off.

The balcony door was cracked open. '_I never leave the balcony door open…somebody must have been in my apartment._'

"**I think somebody is on to you. I wouldn't doubt if you attracted a few odd stalkers after all that's been happening lately."**

'_What if they know about my scroll?' _Naruto thought worried. Relief struck the boy as he felt the scroll concealed in his pack. '_Phew…that was close. Well I should go check out who's been going through my apartment_.'

Naruto landed on the balcony and opened the door as he entered his home. He closed the door and locked it behind himself as he began to examine the room. It seemed completely normal at first glance, but upon further investigation, Naruto noticed a few piles of clothing adjusted and his ninja equipment slightly moved.

There was no doubt in his mind that somebody had been snooping through his home. '_Somebody must be suspicious of me if they searched through here…but how could they know about my scroll?_'

"**Somebody is watching you as we speak. Don't look now but there is an Anbu barely visible three rooftops to the left outside your window."**

Naruto remained perfectly still and made sure to keep a straight face as he casually sat on his bed, '_How can you see him and I can't_?'

"**He's been following you since you hit the training ground…I can sense his chakra levels. Mortals are so easy to detect and this guy obviously isn't aware of our intelligence."**

'_You're going to have to teach me that…I can't afford to have people stalking me. Why do you think he's following me?'_

"**You've already figured that out…somebody is obviously suspicious about you. I'm guessing your sensei is somehow connected to this. That or the Hokage."**

Naruto remained expressionless as he rested his head on his pillow. The blonde closed his eyes and faked oblivious indifference. '_I can't keep the scroll at my apartment if people are going through it…and I can't keep it on me and risk somebody seeing it. I'm going to have to hide the scroll._'

Kyuubi huffed in annoyance, **"Stupid curious mortals…they should have just kept ignoring you. Now you're going to have to dodge this guy if you intend on dumping that scroll somewhere."**

'_I could put it in the Forest of Death…that's probably the only place I can safely keep it hidden_,' Naruto thought desperately.

Kyuubi sighed in his mind, **"Whatever you do…don't alert them that you are aware. Otherwise they will become even more suspicious. Your best course of action is to wait until midnight and return to the Forest. You'll have to take an intricate trail to shake this guy though."**

'_I have an idea…I can plant a fake scroll somewhere and let them quit their pursuit to check it. By the time they realize it's a fake, I'll be long gone into the Forest of Death.'_

"**That's dangerous…that will give you away kit."**

'_I suppose it will…but I don't really have a choice. They already have suspicions, so if I conceal the evidence where they can't find it, then they won't have any proof. No matter what I do people are going to continue following me…' _Naruto concluded.

The bijou sighed deeply, **"I suppose your logic is reasonable…but you're going to have to be fast if you intend on losing their trail after planting the false scroll."**

'_Don't you worry about that…I have just the thing to handle that little bit.' _Naruto replied.

Just then, the blonde heard a knock on his door. He opened his eyes and stood up making his way to the door. He opened the door and saw none other than Kakashi standing in front of him.

The jounin had a casual look in his eye as he waved at Naruto, "Yo, what's up Naruto? Did you forget I came back today?"

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, how was your secret mission?" Naruto asked. The blonde carefully studied the slightest changes in his sensei's face but Kakashi's resolve held steady.

"It was a success. Anyways, I need you to come back to the training ground so that I can tell you and your team something important," the jounin responded.

This caused Naruto to think for a moment, "How did you know I was there this morning?"

Kakashi kept a straight face, '_Naruto is unusually suspicious…I hope he isn't on to me_.'

"Sakura said you and Sasuke both left about half an hour ago. I just arrived after you left apparently."

"Oh okay…yeah let's go right now then," Naruto nodded as he forced a smile and began to follow Kakashi.

"**That Anbu stopped following you…he's probably going to search your apartment again."**

'_Damn these people are nosy…I can't wait long. I'm hiding the scroll tonight.' _Naruto concluded as he and Kakashi made their way back to Team Seven's training ground.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sakura nervously made her way into the Uchiha District and spotted an angry Sasuke punching a stone wall repeatedly. The girl's fists managed to smash multiple holes in the wall as she furiously hit it .

Upon seeing the pink haired girl, Sasuke immediately stopped what she was doing and turned around to glare at Sakura angrily. The two girls stared each other down for a moment until Sasuke spoke, "Why are you in _MY District?_"

The pink haired girl looked a bit worried by the glare Sasuke was directing towards her. After a moment of awkward silence Sakura finally answered, "Kakashi-sensei wants us all to come back to the training ground…"

Before she could anticipate it, Sakura was pinned against a wall being choked by Sasuke. The Uchiha spoke venomously, "You have some nerve trying to flaunt your little Barbie ass around me! I don't want anything to do with you or that team!"

Sasuke then threw Sakura to the ground causing the girl to start choking as she desperately gasped for air. The Uchiha crossed her arms as she glared darkly at Sakura. The pink haired girl managed to stand up and started to chuckle, "Oh…I get it now. You're just jealous that Naruto is my boyfriend huh?"

Not even a second passed before Sakura was face down on the ground again. She grimaced in pain as she clutched her stomach.

"You two belong together bitch! I suggest you leave before I kill you!" Sasuke threatened. Sakura tried to stand up but was knocked back down as Sasuke stomped on her back.

"C'mon Sakura, get up and leave!" the Uchiha demanded as she kicked Sakura in the stomach.

Sakura barely managed to respond, "I can't if you keep hitting me!"

The girl was rewarded by Sasuke's arm wrapping around her throat and squeezing tightly. Sakura gasped desperately as the raven haired girl held her in a headlock.

"I hate you Sakura…I would kill you right here and now but I need your candy ass alive so that I can take the chunin exams. Get out of my sight and don't ever speak to me again you whore!" Sasuke yelled as she finally released Sakura from her grip.

The pink haired girl scrambled to her feet and took off immediately leaving Sasuke alone in the Uchiha District.

'_Damn her…hasn't she already done enough by stealing Naruto from me? Now she has the fucking nerve to show up to my house and rub it in my face? Fuck Naruto…I can't believe I let my guard down again,_' Sasuke growled as she went inside of her house.

'_Naruto has always liked Sakura. I guess I just fooled myself by thinking otherwise. How could I let this happen to me? Why do I care so much about some fucking boy? Itachi was right…I lack hatred._'

Sasuke was deeply hurt by the events that had occurred earlier that morning. The thing that hurt her the worst was the fact that Naruto chose Sakura over her. Although the Uchiha was unsure of the boy's feelings and didn't get a chance to find out when she pushed him away during their kiss.

'_I ruined that moment…he kissed me and I pushed him away. He probably thinks I didn't want him_.' Sasuke immediately began to feel self pity as she reviewed the scene again in her head.

'_This is my fault…Naruto might not have said yes to Sakura if I told him how I felt. Damn it!_' Despite her self-esteem plummeting to the ground, Sasuke began to feel angriest not towards Sakura or Naruto, but to herself.

'_I should have seen this coming…this is exactly why I don't get close to people. From here on out I must become apathetic towards all of them. Emotions are useless and pitiful…I won't let this happen again!_'

After her inner turmoil subsided, Sasuke decided to head towards the training ground. She had a stoic expression plastered over her face lacking any emotion whatsoever.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Upon reaching team seven's training ground, Sasuke managed to spot a slightly injured Sakura as well as Naruto and Kakashi. The masked jounin was particularly concerned by Sakura's roughed up appearance but upon seeing Sasuke's face decided to leave it be for the time being.

Sasuke refused to look anybody in the eye as she emotionlessly stood in front of Kakashi. Naruto felt a terrible void of regret swell in his stomach upon seeing the girl, '_Damn it…I shouldn't have kissed Sasuke. Now she hates me._'

Naruto examined Sakura for a moment and spotted several bruises and marks on her neck. '_What the hell happened to her?_'

Noticing the odd look she was getting from Naruto, Sakura turned to smile, "What's wrong, Naruto-kun?"

'_I'll ask her about it later I guess_…' Naruto thought as Kakashi looked curiously at him as well.

"Nothing…"

Kakashi coughed to catch everybody's attention, "Ahem, anyways, as you three probably know by now…I am back from my mission and it was successful."

Everybody remained quiet as they stared at Kakashi. "There is something important that I wanted to tell you three today. As you know…the chunin exams are in two weeks, however, there are certain requirements that you must be aware of if you intend to sign up."

"What kinds of requirements?" Sakura asked as she massaged her pained neck.

"You three must be able to work as a team to succeed in this exam. From what I have heard lately, all three of you have been avoiding each other. Before I continue, I would like to know why?" Kakashi requested as he looked at Sakura first.

She thought for a moment before answering, "Well, Naruto and Sasuke like to train alone and I haven't even seen either one of them until this morning."

Kakashi nodded his head as he turned towards Sasuke, "Where have you been training for the past two weeks Sasuke?"

The girl remained straight faced and showed no emotion, "The Uchiha Compound Training Facility…I have remained in there for the past two weeks."

"You never once tried to find your team mates to train together?" Kakashi asked. The raven haired girl shook her head, "I saw no point…Sakura would hold me back and Naruto prefers training alone as well."

The jounin frowned beneath his mask as he turned towards Naruto. The jinchuuriki already knew what Kakashi was trying to do, '_He must know that I have been undetectable for the past two weeks…Kakashi seriously underestimates me_.'

"I was all over the place. I mostly trained around here at night and sometimes in the mountainous area near the Hokage heads," Naruto answered. His claim was false, but he knew it would strike some merit seeing as how he had been spotted somewhat near the Hokage heads two weeks ago.

Naruto stealthily studied Kakashi's expressionless face for any sign of doubt. The jounin's mouth twitched down slightly beneath his mask.

"**He knows you're lying…tell him something a bit more convincing."**

"Well…and there was this other place I went…" Naruto added as he eyed his sensei. Kakashi perked up interested waiting for Naruto's answer.

"Where is this place, Naruto?" The jounin asked casually hiding his interest.

"Asuma-sensei's secret grove…he gave me the password to train there a few months ago. I went there to practice as well," Naruto answered. His statement wasn't entirely false. Asuma really did give him the password to enter the place and it was almost always deserted.

The only loophole in his answer was the fact that the Hokage might doubt it. Although Naruto decided to take his chances with his response. Thankfully for him, Kakashi believed him.

"Alright…well anyways, the reason I asked you three all of this is because I noticed a serious lack of team spirit. It seems like the three of you don't like each other very well. You work well together, but you don't necessarily get along…" Kakashi looked between Sakura and Sasuke as he said this.

"Just get to the point…" Sasuke demanded plainly.

Kakashi wasn't fazed by her demand as he responded, "I won't let you three enter the chunin exams unless you drastically improve your teamwork. I don't want team seven to be known as the renegade team. The fact that Naruto and Sasuke are already lone wolves makes this difficult, but I want you three to spend the next two weeks training here. Once it is over I will evaluate if you are proficient enough to enter the chunin exams and tell you how to sign up the day beforehand."

Naruto and Sasuke both simultaneously looked annoyed at the notion of team training. Naruto sighed inwardly, '_I can't train with my new jutsus or my bloodlines with them watching me. I can't practice Rasengan either…all I can do is work on my water and wind jutsus…but I am already good at them_.'

Sasuke's mind was on a similar track, '_I don't want to unveil my trump cards and risk Naruto finding a way to counter them. I will surpass him…but I won't be able to if he sees my new abilities._'

Sakura on the other hand was the only person happy about Kakashi's idea. "That' great! I would love to train with you Naruto!"

"**I might cry…you have to baby sit these two? What a set back…"**

'_At least Sasuke can handle herself…Sakura on the other hand will be up my ass all week!'_

Kakashi was completely unsurprised by the three looks he was receiving. He expected that Naruto and Sasuke would be against it and that Sakura would be for it.

'_I guess I'll leave them alone…they won't really develop if I'm standing over their shoulder. I need to talk to Yamato anyways,_' the jounin thought.

"Alright, once I have seen improvement in your team work I will tell you the rest of your requirements. Now you three spend the rest of the day training here…I have business to attend to. I may or may not periodically check on your progress," Kakashi said as he began to make his leave.

'_He's going to talk to the guy snooping in my apartment I'll bet_…' Naruto thought as Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

After he left there was an awkward silence between the three genin. Naruto looked over at Sasuke curiously. The girl refused to make any eye contact with him as she began to go through taijutsu exercises.

The blonde wanted to apologize to Sasuke about kissing her, but was stopped as an arm snaked around his, "Hey Naruto-kun, let's go train together!"

"**That masked asshole is definitely going on my hit list for this…"**

Naruto nodded his head at Sakura, "Okay well first of all, Sakura why don't you tell me what you normally do in an average day of training."

Sasuke inwardly laughed at the image of Sakura training all day as she shook her head.

"Well…normally I do a bunch of cardio and then I practice throwing kunai and shuriken. I normally end the day with bunshin training," Sakura explained.

"**Wow…that's the kind of training you were doing about five or six years ago."**

Naruto thought for a moment, "Well, Sakura, what about ninjutsu and taijutsu? Do you practice those at all?"

The girl sheepishly shook her head, "Hehehe, well not really, I mean I know the basic stuff they taught us at the academy, but I don't really have any special training or anything like that."

"How's about the two of us have a friendly spar. I won't use any jutsus or weapons against you. We'll just work on taijutsu okay?" Naruto suggested.

Sakura smiled and nodded her head, "Okay!"

Sasuke was drawn from her taijutsu exercises as she saw Naruto and Sakura spread into fighting stances. The girl plainly watched them.

Despite her earlier emotional outburst about what happened, Sasuke managed to repress her pain slightly as she ignored it and tried to stay indifferent.

The Uchiha almost laughed at the stance Sakura was in. Her combat stance was basic and a bit sloppy, but the worst thing that Sasuke noticed about it was the lack of mental discipline Sakura had as she shifted back and forth on her feet.

Naruto on the other hand had a flawless combat stance. This wasn't very surprising seeing as how he had been trained in Toad style and Sarutobi taijutsu styles by Jiraiya and Asuma. The boy took notice of Sasuke looking at him and made eye contact for the first time since their kiss.

Sasuke felt her stomach churn at the sad look on his face but she immediately looked away fortifying her emotional walls even further.

"You ready, Naruto?" Sakura asked as she stood across from the distant blonde. He snapped his focus back towards Sakura and nodded, "Whenever you are…"

"Here I come!" Sakura shouted cheerfully as she made the first move. She hooked her right arm in wide punch but missed as Naruto simply ducked beneath it.

"Woah…that was fast," Sakura remarked as she eyed the calm blonde.

"Come at me Sakura…don't hold back, I want you to try and land a hit on me," Naruto said awaiting the girl's next attack.

Following his command, Sakura immediately began to go through a series of punches and kicks towards Naruto. The boy masterfully dodged a majority of the attacks and blocked the rest.

This continued for a few minutes until Sakura was out of breath. She panted heavily as Naruto held his arm out towards her perfectly still. "How are you so fast?" Sakura asked between her heavy breaths.

"Evasion and dexterity are the first two things that one must master if they truly wish to become skilled in taijutsu. I wanted you to see how this style of combat can exhaust your opponent quickly. It is a lot more defensive than offensive, but overall is much more effective for long term fights or against enemies with high amounts of stamina," Naruto explained.

The boy completely repeated Jiraiya's words to Sakura.

She shook her head and smiled at his explanation, "Seriously Naruto…you are full of surprises. Can you help me out then?"

"**You're hopeless bitch…"**

'_You're hopeless bitch…_' Kyuubi and Sasuke both thought simultaneously.

Naruto on the other hand sighed, '_I suppose I am going to have to train Sakura in taijutsu now…_'

"Alright Sakura…well if you're serious about learning taijutsu from me than I suggest you should also start trying something called resistance training," Naruto explained.

"What's that?" Sakura asked curiously eyeing Naruto.

The blonde answered her as he pulled up his pant legs up and showed the girl weights on his legs, "Wearing weights on your legs will make you much faster and will make you stronger as well. Since you're just starting out I wouldn't try to exert yourself with anything big…but if you practice basic taijutsu with resistance training then you are bound to improve your strength, speed, and endurance."

"Isn't weight training dangerous?" Sakura asked.

"It can be…but to be the best you have to take risks…" Sasuke cut in as showed Sakura her leg weights.

Naruto looked interested at the sight, "I didn't know you used resistance training, Sasuke…"

"Don't try to get all friendly with me, Uzumaki…we have to get along for the sake of proceeding in the chunin exam. I have no desire to spend any unnecessary amount of time or attention on either one of you," Sasuke replied plainly.

The blonde inwardly sighed at her attitude. He didn't know what Sasuke's deal was. It seemed strange to him, but he noticed that every time he and Sasuke got close, she would instantly put a wall between them again.

Although Naruto was slightly curious about Sasuke's reaction to Sakura kissing him. Part of him wanted to believe that Sasuke was jealous. That would mean that the girl actually liked him. Sadly though, he was unable to figure the Uchiha out due to her constant mood swings between bitchiness back to her apathetic attitude.

Naruto had recently developed a slight attraction towards his dark haired team mate. He kissed her impulsively because he thought that Sasuke liked him. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case when it angered the girl.

He was truly stressed about the situation because he wanted Sasuke to like him…but if she did, then that would make him a complete jerk for accepting Sakura as his girlfriend. Either way, Naruto realized that he made a mistake. If he ever sought to be with Sasuke, then he would have to hurt Sakura.

The boy didn't want to admit it, but he felt more from his kiss with Sasuke than Sakura. At the current moment, he was completely uncertain which girl he truly favored. However, due to Sasuke's cold indifference and recent apathetic acknowledgements he only assumed the worst.

'_I guess Sasuke just doesn't like me…I shouldn't have kissed her._' Naruto thought as he stared at the ground.

"Hello! Earth to Naruto! Are you there?" Sakura demanded waving her arm in front of him. He looked up at her curiously, "Yes, what is it?"

"You were going to train with me…" Sakura reminded him as she placed her hands on her hips.

Naruto nodded his head, "Oh yeah…alright let's begin training Sakura."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The first day of team training had been surprisingly interesting for the three genin. Naruto and Sasuke both pushed aside their current animosity and simply ignored each other.

Naruto managed to acquire his old leg weights and gave them to Sakura. It wasn't a lot, but the additional weight did cause the girl to become exhausted during the taijutsu filled day she and Naruto had.

Sasuke didn't interact much with either one of them but remained nearby so that Kakashi wouldn't complain about them not training together.

After the sun began to set, they unanimously began to disperse each heading home. Sasuke left without a word.

Naruto tried to do the same, but before he could leave, he felt Sakura snake her arms around his, "Naruto-kun, would you mind walking me home?"

"**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Tell her NO!" **The nine tailed fox roared in Naruto's mind. He could hear the beast smashing his head against the bars of his cage.

"Umm…I suppose so," Naruto nodded his head. He didn't want to be a jerk to Sakura…especially after what he did to Sasuke. The blonde already created an awkwardness between him and the Uchiha…he didn't want one with Sakura as well.

Kyuubi wasn't happy with his reasoning, **"This is stupid…"**

"You want to stop somewhere and get something for dinner?" Sakura asked as the two genin made their way into the village. Naruto shrugged, "Sure, I am pretty hungry."

"**Just when I thought this situation couldn't get any worse…when are you going to break it off with this bitch?"**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kakashi intercepted Yamato on the way to the Hokage tower and the two jounin both landed on a nearby rooftop. Yamato was in his Anbu attire but took his mask off as he sat down next to Kakashi on the roof.

"Did you find that scroll in his apartment?" Kakashi asked.

Yamato shook his head, "No…there's nothing of value in that place. If Naruto did steal that scroll he most likely either has it with him at all times or he hid it somewhere."

The silver haired man sighed as he leaned his head against the wall behind the two, "That's not good…if Naruto has it with him, then it will be a lot more difficult to acquire it."

The Anbu man nodded his head, "And if he has it hidden, then that would mean he is on to us. However I did notice something unusual when he went to his apartment this morning. He felt into his pack when he saw the open balcony door to his apartment. I am positive that Naruto has that scroll with him."

Kakashi sighed at the mention, "There's something really strange going on with that boy…he is more paranoid than anybody I have ever met. Today I asked him where he has been the past two weeks and he told me Asuma's special training ground…"

The wood user thought for a moment, "If Naruto was in there then that would make him immune to the Hokage's crystal ball. Asuma has that grove fortified…"

The masked jounin nodded, "It seems like a likely place that explains Naruto's whereabouts…however, my only concern is if he is as paranoid as I think he is, then why would he tell the truth?"

Yamato only shrugged, "This is a mystery, Kakashi-senpai…I honestly have no clue what to believe."

Kakashi stood up, "Continue to watch him…try not to be obvious. He is too paranoid for you to be spotted. If he does then there's no way in hell we'll ever find that scroll."

The Anbu nodded as he put a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, "I'll continue to observe him for any irregular activity. Also, I'd recommend that you avoid asking any unusual questions…his secret training grounds aren't of any concern. Our main priority is to locate the scroll and dispose of it."

Kakashi nodded, "I'll leave it to you then, Yamato…come and find me at my house if you discover anything worth reporting."

The Anbu nodded before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

The jounin was already on the roof of his house, and jumped down to head inside. As he went to open the door, he saw Sasuke leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.

"What's this I heard about disposing a scroll, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke asked curiously as she eyed her teacher. The jounin was astonished that the girl remained undetected until now.

"Sasuke…how long have you been here?" Kakashi asked bewildered.

"Not long…" Sasuke answered honestly, "I didn't hear much from your conversation with that Anbu guy. All I heard was something about destroying a scroll. I'm guessing that was part of your mission?"

Kakashi was relieved and nodded his head, "Yes…we believe there is a spy in hidden leaf who has a valuable scroll. This spy has supposedly been spotted several times stalking Naruto," The jounin lied.

The Uchiha waved off the jounin's explanation, "Yeah, I don't care…anyways, back to the reason I am here. I want you to train me how to use lightning, Kakashi-sensei."

The jounin was surprised to hear Sasuke's request. He thought for a moment, "What makes you so sure that you have an affinity for lightning?"

The girl immediately went through the hand seals for chidori and managed to spark a small electrical chirp in her hands before it dissipated.

"I have been unable to maintain it…I want you to teach me how to do it…preferably in secret. I want an ace for the chunin exams," Sasuke explained.

Kakashi chuckled and nodded his head, "Well…you already have two elemental affinities at your age? You and Naruto have a lot in common. I suppose I can teach you more about lightning…but I want you to do something in return, Sasuke."

"What is that?" the girl asked casually.

"I want you to please be respectful of your team mates. You three could easily get disqualified if Sakura gives up on any of the tests. It is essential that you utilize proper team work to get to the finals," Kakashi said.

"Is that why you were so concerned about our team work today?" The girl asked casually.

The jounin sighed reluctantly, "Yes…I know you don't like her, but please try to get along with Sakura for the sake of the exam. I don't want some bad blood between you three to disqualify the best genin team in Konoha."

"Fine…I'll lay off and be a team player then," Saasuke agreed.

"Okay good…well if you intend on training in secret you'll have to do it at night."

The girl expression didn't change in the slightest, "I'm used to it…start training me tonight Kakashi-sensei."

"So much for sleep…" The jounin sighed as he nodded his head.

The two then set off towards Team Seven's training ground.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto and Sakura were nearing the pink haired girl's house. They had ramen for dinner and were both fairly tired after a long day. Sakura was completely exhausted after her day of training with Naruto. She wasn't used to the leg weights yet and spent a lot of time complaining about them.

The jinchuuriki began to tune out her random ranting about how her butt and legs hurt. "I'm so sore…I might not be able to make it up the stairs," Sakura said as Naruto reached the entrance to her home. "Well, good work training today, Sakura…I'm going home now," Naruto said.

Before he could leave, Sakura hugged him and planted a quick kiss on his lips. Afterwards she waved as he headed home high speed over the rooftops of Konoha.

Naruto didn't know why, but he didn't feel anything from his kiss with Sakura. It was nothing like he used to dream of. Back during his days at the academy, he would day dream of making out with the pink haired girl, but for some reason it didn't feel the same to him now.

He sighed as he pushed that thought out of his mind. The blonde had more important things to worry about at the moment. Naruto had to hide the real scroll in the Forest of Death.

As he expected, the boy barely sensed the presence of somebody following him.

"**Good…that man is following you again. Do you know where you are going to plant the fake scroll?"**

'_Yes…I managed to snag a weapon scroll earlier when I got those weights for Sakura. I am going to drop that scroll off near Asuma-sensei's training ground and let this guy wait around to check it out. By the time he figures out it's a fake, I'll be long gone and he'll lose my trail long enough for me to slip the real scroll into the barrier you created in the Forest of Death._'

"**Good," **was all Kyuubi managed to say as Naruto headed out to do his task.

Yamato was following a considerable distance behind Naruto, but close enough to stay in range and keep up. As the blonde approached his drop point, he quickly dropped the fake scroll underneath a tree outside of Asuma's training ground and began to take off again.

He was relieved to see that Yamato took the bait instead of following him. Naruto channeled as much chakra into his legs as possible and set off at blazing speed towards the Forest of Death.

Meanwhile, Yamato landed by the tree and looked underneath a few open roots spotting the scroll. He didn't waste much time as he picked it up and opened it.

'_This has to be the scroll…_' Yamato thought as he opened it curiously. About half a minute passed before Yamato dropped the scroll annoyed, '_A fake? Naruto is on to me! This was a diversion!'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto was home free as he slipped into the Forest of Death unnoticed. He spent the remainder of the night carefully hiding his scroll in the barrier still left up by Kyuubi.

"**These things don't last forever…you better hide it well before it falls," **Kyuubi noted.

The boy did just that. It took him a while, but he managed to conceal the scroll deeply inside one of the large trees inside the forest. Afterwards he stealthily snuck out of the Forest of Death and alley hopped his way home to avoid being spotted.

He made sure to pass his apartment and approach it from a different direction so that nobody would assume he was at the Forest of Death.

As he reached his balcony, he saw the Anbu man leaning against the glass pane waiting for him.

"Can I help you?" Naruto asked curiously.

Yamato sighed, '_There's no point in trying to call him out…he's obviously already hidden the real scroll_.'

"I was just looking for you, Naruto Uzumaki. I tried to speak to you earlier but you seemed to be in a hurry," the Anbu said.

"**This is the guy that has been stalking you for the past twenty four hours. He has obviously given up on stealth…but he is still faking ignorance."**

'_This is interesting…' _Naruto thought.

"Why were you looking for me?" Naruto asked as he sat down on his balcony railing.

Yamato sighed deeply and answered, "The Hokage was worried about you seeing as how you have been missing for the past two weeks. I was simply sent by the Hokage to see if you were up to anything strange."

Naruto knew that this man was only telling half of the truth but decided against calling him out.

"So…who are you?" the boy asked curiously. The man surprisingly took his mask off and answered, "You can call me, Yamato."

"Nice to meet you Yamato, I'm sure you already know this but I'm Naruto Uzumaki." The blonde extended his hand out towards the man.

The mokuton user was surprised by the motion but immediately took the boy's handshake, "Nice to meet you in person finally. I hear a lot about you."

"What kinds of things do you hear?" Naruto questioned interested.

"Well a wide range of good and bad things…most of the bad comes from the civilians. The Hokage and your sensei on the other hand speak highly of your prowess," Yamato said.

'_Something seems weird about this…why would he just give up and start telling me about who he is_?' Naruto wondered.

"**I am slightly curious about that myself. Keep a close eye on him…"**

"Well, tell the old man Hokage that I am okay…I have just been all over the place for the past two weeks," Naruto answered.

Yamato nodded in response, "The Hokage has requested that I keep an eye on you…I will respect your privacy, Naruto Uzumaki, but don't be surprised if I show up unannounced from time to time."

The blonde nodded his head, "Okay…take care Yamato-san,"

After the man left Naruto shook his head in confusion, '_I can't train with everybody breathing down my neck…I guess I'll just have to go along with this crap for now._'

"**You can still train…but it will be dangerous and time consuming to slip in and out of the Forest undetected. I suggest you go back tomorrow after training that pink bitch…I'll let you know if anybody is stalking you."**

'_Alright…' _Naruto sighed as he went inside to go to sleep.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Alright Sasuke…if you truly wish to become adequate in lightning, then you will need to become fast. You and I are going to spar in taijutsu so I can evaluate your speed…don't hold back so I can determine your current level."

"Fine…" Sasuke agreed as she slipped into a fighting stance.

Kakashi did the same. After a moment of silence, the Uchiha charged Kakashi full speed and nearly landed a punch to his face. The man narrowly blocked the punch in time as Sasuke began to thrash against him.

The girl's speed was very impressive and Kakashi barely managed to block several attacks. This continued for a few minutes until finally the jounin caught Sasuke's arm and nodded, "Good…you are already fast enough then."

Sasuke managed to grin slightly at the mention as her pride began to grow. "Well then Sasuke…seeing as how you have the adequate speed to properly use lightning…I am now going to explain the nature of lightning chakra to you."

Sasuke remained quiet watching her sensei intensely.

He continued, "To properly create lightning…one needs to increase the high frequency vibrations of their chakra. If done properly, this can allow for piercing damage and fast movement. Also, if you are experienced enough at it, you can even amplify weapons with it."

"So how do I maintain these vibrations? I can only seem to do it when I am angry…" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi sighed, "It takes intense concentration at first, but once you learn how to do it then it becomes second nature. Activate your Sharingan and go through those hand seals for chidori."

Sasuke as commanded. As she channeled the lightning, Kakashi continued, "Your Sharingan can be especially useful when it comes to this…watch how I maintain my chidori."

The girl copied the slight twitches of Kakashi's arms as he kept his Chidori channeled. As this progressed, the jounin began to explain it further, "You see…copy the muscle movements in my arm and memorize the way I channel the lightning. See how it vibrates through my body."

The girl began to understand it better as she added more to her own chidori, "I see…so by constantly charging my chakra like this and repeatedly opening and closing my tenketsu points I can maintain these vibrations?"

The jounin was impressed by her insight, "Yes…very observant Sasuke. Although I have a question for you if you wouldn't mind asking."

Sasuke stopped channeling the lightning and crossed her arms, "What would that be?"

"Why are you pushing yourself so hard to learn lightning in secret from your team mates? Are you trying to one up Naruto or something? Because if you are, Lightning is not the way to go. Naruto is an expert in wind chakra according to Asuma and lightning is weak against wind," Kakashi explained.

"Naruto is also proficient at water…which puts that at a disadvantage when faced with lightning," Sasuke shot back.

Kakashi placed a hand to his chin and thought for a moment, "I suppose that's true…although it doesn't answer my question…why are you trying to learn this in secret?"

"Why not? Naruto got to learn a ton of stuff in secret from a fucking sannin!" Sasuke stated.

"Why would that matter to you, Sasuke? You and Naruto are different people and can't really be compared in that way."

The Uchiha scoffed at his attitude, "It's nothing to concern yourself with sensei…it is simply a team rivalry."

Kakashi shook his head and sighed, "I know you have a crush on Naruto…"

Sasuke's eyes shot open shocked at the mention, "WHAT!"

"Don't even bother denying it…I've seen the way you two interact in the mornings…your mood swings as soon as Sakura arrives…and especially the unusual motivation you've had to become stronger ever since Naruto proved his worth in Wave Country," Kakashi said casually.

"So you do watch us in the mornings…I always had suspicions about your true whereabouts," Sasuke sighed.

"Yes…I was curious to see how your team work would develop if you three were forced to spend a lot of time alone in the mornings. I am a bit surprised that it turned into a love triangle."

The raven haired girl was at a loss of words. She couldn't deny Kakashi's logic and simply looked down in shame.

The jounin sighed as he put a hand on her shoulder, "Listen Sasuke…you don't have to do all of this to get Naruto to like you. I am pretty sure he already does judging by his actions this morning."

"I'm not doing this for him!" Sasuke shouted angrily.

"Then who are you doing this for?" the masked man asked curiously.

"I'm doing this for my clan!" Sasuke answered as she punched a nearby tree splintering it in half.

Kakashi sighed, "Listen Sasuke…revenge isn't the answer. It never solved any of my problems and it certainly won't solve yours. Just think about that okay?"

The girl shrugged, "Fine…can we just continue training?"

"Very well."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After spending a majority of the night training with Sasuke, Kakashi was finally arriving back home. It was close to dawn and he was fairly tired.

As he went to open the door, he heard a voice, "Kakashi-senpai…I have bad news."

The jounin instantly turned around and spotted a concerned looking Yamato. He motioned for the man to come inside and sit down.

As the mokuton user sat on the couch Kakashi closed the door, "What's wrong Yamato? Did something happen with Naruto?"

The Anbu member threw the fake scroll at Kakashi which the jounin effortlessly caught. Upon opening it Kakashi looked up concerned, "A fake? How did you acquire this?"

"I was trailing Naruto…he dropped it off in front of Asuma's Grove and took off. By the time I realized it was a fake, he was long gone. It was clearly a diversion. He probably took the opportunity to hide the real scroll…" Yamato sighed.

"I guess this confirms it then…Naruto does have the scroll. Still, the Hokage will want more proof. What happened next?" the masked jounin questioned.

"I waited almost all night for him at his apartment…when he finally got there I decided to tell him who I was and I told him that the Hokage was worried about his disappearance. I'm sorry I blew my cover Kakashi…but he was already on to me when he planted that fake scroll," Yamato explained.

The copy-nin sighed as he sat down on an adjacent couch, "You did the right thing…not to mention, this whole thing proves our suspicions anyways. I'll explain this to the Hokage…you don't have to follow him around anymore."

"Naruto may have found his scroll but he doesn't seem to know anything about his clan…maybe we should let the Hokage talk to him about it before Naruto starts to distrust everybody in the village," Yamato suggested.

Kakashi nodded his head, "That's a good idea…the evidence of the clan's destruction is gone so I suppose that the Hokage can convince Naruto to believe a false story and settle his paranoia."

"Let's go right now…I am anxious to settle this as soon as possible," Yamato sighed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The two men were patiently waiting in front of the Hokage's office for the old man to arrive. It had been a few hours, but finally, they saw the robed Hokage coming up the stairs.

He eyed them both curiously as he passed by them and entered his office. The Hokage waved them in immediately, Kakashi and Yamato did as commanded and closed the door behind themselves.

There was a brief silence until Kakashi spoke, "Naruto has the scroll…and he managed to hide it somewhere."

The Hokage raised a brow curiously as he sat down in his chair. "Care to explain in detail?"

Yamato nodded and started, "I have been following Naruto for the past day as requested keeping an eye out for any unusual activity. However, I left subtle clues in his apartment and I left his door open to examine his reaction to see if he had the scroll. I watched him reach into his pack worried when he saw the open door on his balcony. I took this as a clue that Naruto had the scroll on him."

The Hokage perked up interested as he folded his hands, "Continue…"

"After his training with his team, I saw him head towards Asuma's grove to plant a scroll. I checked it as soon as he left but it turned out to be a fake…" Yamato dropped the scroll on the Hokage's desk.

Sarutobi had a concerned look on his face as Yamato continued, "Naruto knew I was following him…I have no clue how, but he did. I tried to salvage the situation by explaining our concern for his disappearance when he got back to his apartment."

"Interesting…well that is somewhat compelling," The Hokage noted.

"If I may be so bold to say this Hokage-sama…I say we're better off leaving Naruto to himself. He obviously has the scroll, but doesn't know about his clan. Not to mention, our constant stalking is making him paranoid. That will only cause the boy to trust us less," Yamato explained.

The Hokage sighed as he nodded his head, "So you want me to give Naruto a false story about his clan then?"

Both men traded surprised glances before nodding at the Hokage. Sarutobi sighed, "Alright…well I guess your work is done Yamato."

"I have a request Hokage-sama…" Yamato spoke up again. The old man turned curiously towards the Anbu member, "What kind of request?"

"I would like to train Naruto in Mokuton Jutsus…he is a descendant of Hashirama-sama, and deserves to learn how to do so," the man mentioned.

This was a complete shock to both Hiruzen and Kakashi. "What makes you so sure that he can learn Mokuton when nobody else in the Senju line ever did? Not to mention why do you want to train Naruto all of a sudden?" The old man asked interested.

"He impressed me…that boy is going to be powerful one day. I can't explain it…but I have this gut feeling that he possesses the ability to create Mokuton," Yamato answered respectfully.

"How can we even be certain that Naruto knows about his relation to Shodaime? This might risk him discovering his heritage," The Hokage asked.

"He most likely knows…" Kakashi sighed as he crossed his arms.

"Alright, Yamato…you have my permission to train Naruto should he accept…but I want to talk to him first. Bring the boy here," The Hokage sighed as he began to smoke his pipe.

Yamato nodded, "As you command Hokage-sama."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After sleeping in till noon, Naruto casually made his way to Team seven's training ground. Before he could arrive however, he was intercepted by his recent Anbu stalker.

"Naruto Uzumaki, it is good to see you again," Yamato spoke as he waved at the blonde.

"Yamato right? What's up?" Naruto asked.

"I have an interesting proposition for you…come to the Hokage's Office first please," The man requested.

Naruto looked confused, "Umm…sure I guess. I'm not in trouble or anything right?"

"No, the Hokage just wanted to explain a few things to you," Yamato answered.

'_Well this is strange…but he doesn't seem all weird today. Might as well go I suppose,_' Naruto concluded as he began to follow the Anbu member towards the Hokage Office.

Upon reaching their destination, Naruto was rather surprised to find Kakashi and the Hokage both sitting in the Office. Yamato closed the door behind them and motioned for Naruto to sit down.

Everybody was staring at him curiously.

"Well, Naruto, I am sure you already know why you're here…" Sarutobi began, "You have recently come into the possession of your clan's bloodline scroll during a recent mission to Wave Country. You have spent the last two weeks training with it in secret in some unknown location as well."

Naruto was rather surprised by their insight and simply nodded his head, "Yes…"

"I apologize if we have given you any reason to distrust us lately that you would have kept something like this to yourself," Kakashi apologized sincerely.

"**Well isn't this just peachy…well at least they don't know where the scroll is."**

"I am rather curious as to how much you actually know about your clan…" The Hokage began slowly. Everybody examined the boy's reaction closely for any signs of knowledge but Naruto didn't know.

"I don't know anything about my clan…all I know is I am related to Mito Uzumaki and Hashirama Senju and that my bloodlines are Lava and Boil," Naruto answered honestly.

Everybody immediately looked relieved at the mention. The Hokage nodded his head, "Yes, well I'll bet you are wondering what happened to your clan…"

"I was rather curious yes…wasn't Konoha allied with Uzushio? I'm sure you guys must know what happened," Naruto remarked.

'_Please forgive me for lying Naruto…but you must never know the truth,_' The Hokage thought.

"Your clan was wiped out by a combined war effort from Kiri and Kumo…there were barely any survivors…Konoha forces arrived too late to save Uzushio," Sarutobi lied.

'_Is he telling the truth, Kyuubi?_' Naruto asked the bijou.

"**Hmm…"**

'_Kyuubi? Is he telling the truth or not?' _Naruto demanded.

"…**Yes, he is. Those two villages did wipe out Uzushio." **Kyuubi lied.

Naruto looked slightly angry at the mention, "So Kumo and Kiri just wiped out my clan for no reason?"

The Hokage sighed, "Yes…they feared the Uzumaki Clan's growing power. Since the Uzumaki Clan was not a part of one of the five great nations they stood no chance from a two front war against Kiri and Kumo."

Naruto sighed deeply, "I see…"

"We know that you have been training with your scroll Naruto…and I actually know where too, The Forest of Death," The Hokage said.

Naruto's eyes shot open in shock about being discovered, "How did you find out?"

The old man simply pointed at his crystal ball, "I saw you entering the Forest last night…"

"Well…I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you guys. I was just worried you would take the scroll away from me," Naruto answered somewhat honestly.

"It is of no concern, Naruto…the important thing is we now cleared up this mess. You are free to practice your clan's bloodline, but I would definitely recommend you continue to keep it a secret. Lava and Boil are going to attract the wrong kind of attention if Danzo finds out," Sarutobi explained.

Naruto nodded his head respectfully, "Of course Old man…I'll respect your wishes then."

"I appreciate your honesty in this, Naruto…and I apologize once again for causing you to distrust us. Before you go, Yamato has something he would like to ask you," the old man pointed to the Anbu member.

Naruto turned around and looked at the man curiously.

"Naruto Uzumaki, seeing as how you are a descendant of Lord Hashirama, you are capable of learning the Mokuton jutsus. Would you like to learn them from me?" Yamato asked.

This was the last thing the blonde was expecting to hear, "You mean I can learn how to use wood? But how?"

"I'll explain that later…should you choose to accept," the Anbu member replied.

"What about my team training though, Kakashi-sensei?" The blonde focused his gaze on his teacher. The silver haired jounin shook his head, "You're already a good team player, Naruto…I am mainly concerned with getting Sasuke to work with Sakura."

"Alright then…well I accept," Naruto responded immediately.

"Good, let's go to the Forest of Death then," Yamato put his mask back on and led Naruto out of the Hokage's office.

After the two of them left, Sarutobi took off his hat and shook his head shamefully, "I feel terrible for lying to that boy…"

"It had to be done…the good news is the compound is gone and Naruto can't disprove your lie. Also, he'll finally stop being paranoid around me," Kakashi sighed in relief.

"Well at least we were able to salvage this situation. Go train that Uchiha girl Kakashi…she's very impressive from what I have seen so far," The Hokage noted.

"Call me if you need me…" the jounin left in a flash.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kakashi landed in Team Seven's training ground to find Sakura and Sasuke individually training. The Uchiha was practicing her fire jutsus as Sakura worked on taijutsu exercises.

Upon seeing their sensei both girls perked up. "Kakashi-sensei! Where have you been?" Sakura demanded.

"I was just talking with the Hokage…Naruto will be training alone for the duration of these two weeks. I want you two to get over your hatred for each other," Kakashi said.

"What!" Sakura shouted in disbelief.

Sasuke wasn't too thrilled either but kept her cool, "Hmph…"

"I don't care if you two both like Naruto and hate each other…you're going to get along for the sake of getting ahead. Understand?" Kakashi spoke sternly.

Both girls traded angry glances before nodding.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As Naruto and Yamato got into the Forest of Death, the Anbu member pulled off his mask and began to speak, "Alright Naruto…too properly create Mokuton jutsus you must have a strong affinity for both water and earth chakra. I know you are already good at water so we will practice with earth today."

Naruto immediately went through a series of hand seals, "Doton: Doryuu Joule!" (Earth Style Rampart)

A large wall of earth erupted in front of Yamato as Naruto rose on it. Yamato looked impressed by it, "You're already proficient in Earth Style chakra?"

Naruto nodded his head, "Yes…I needed to combine earth and fire chakra to make Lava. So I'm guessing wood is created by combining water and earth chakra?"

The Anbu member nodded his head, "Yes…you are remarkably intelligent, Naruto, that is indeed the case. However there is more to it than that. You see…the first's powers are not necessarily hereditary."

Naruto looked confused, "So how can I learn it then? Not to mention how can you do it?"

"I was a survivor of Orochimaru's experimentation. He transplanted Shodaime's DNA into sixty children I was the only survivor. I am not related to his clan so my powers are a tiny fragment of his. I simply lack the chakra levels that your Clans possess. However since you are the heir to both the Uzumaki and Senju Clans then I am certain that you can learn it."

"Why doesn't anybody else from the Senju Clan use Mokuton though?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Because it was created by Shodaime and not inherited…he was strong in earth and water affinities and managed to create a hybrid unique to him alone. Nobody in his family has ever managed to recreate it…however, I believe that you can since you are capable of performing lava and boil," Yamato noted.

"Umm…I think I understand," Naruto sighed.

"You already know how to combine elemental chakra so it shouldn't be too hard for you to understand. You see…by combining earth and water you are creating life."

Yamato went through a series of hand seals, "Mokuton: Jukai Heki!" (Wood Release: Dense Woodland Wall)

A large wall of branches began to shoot up in front of the man. Naruto watched in awe as they formed into a net like pattern.

"This is an advanced jutsu, but it is just an example for you…with Mokuton you have a strong defense as well as offense."

"This is cool!" Naruto shouted in awe.

Yamato smiled, "This next technique I am going to show you will be the first one you should master…pay close attention there are only two hand seals in this one. Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan!" (Deep Forest Creation)

Naruto jumped back and watched in awe as Yamato created a large amount of trees from the ground. They grew at amazing speed until they covered the entire clearing in forest. Naruto was astonished by it.

"You can make trees grow!" the boy shouted impressed.

Yamato nodded, "Yes, there are many more things you can do, but this is one of the most important ones I ever mastered. Now Naruto I want you to try it."

The blonde did as commanded as he performed the two hand seals necessary, "Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan!" (Deep Forest Creation) It wasn't anywhere near what Naruto expected as a single branch poked out of the ground with a few leaves.

The boy sighed discouraged.

Yamato on the other hand smiled, "That's good…you are capable of doing Mokuton…continue practicing Naruto!"

The boy thought for a moment as he formed a cross with his hands, "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" An army of shadow clones appeared and began to start practicing Mokuton.

Yamato's eyes nearly flew out of his head when he saw the amount of shadow clones the boy had created. The real Naruto laughed at the look on his face as his clones worked on the jutsu, "This is my secret training technique, Yamato-sensei…I mass train with shadow clones."

"The fact that you haven't died from doing this only proves that you are a true Senju…" Yamato laughed.

"So Naruto…would you mind showing me a lava jutsu? I have been rather anxious to see it ever since Kakashi mentioned the scroll," Yamato commented.

"How did you guys even find out about that? And hasn't Kakashi-sensei been gone for two weeks on an Anbu trip?" Naruto asked curiously.

The man nodded, "Yes…we were on a mission to locate Zabuza but we only found his journal. His journal mentioned a stolen scroll and ever since Kakashi pieced it together."

"I see…" Naruto said as he watched his clones train.

"**Hahahaha!"**

Naruto ignored Kyuubi's laugh as Yamato continued, "So would you mind showing me?"

The boy nodded as he faced the large vine wall Yamato created, "Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu!" (Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique)

Naruto successfully spit a large amount of lava from his mouth blanketing the wall of branches. The liquid magma immediately melted through the wood and solidified as the wood finished melting.

The Anbu man was shocked, "That is devastating…and for one so young to know such a jutsu…"

"Yeah…It's pretty badass huh?" Naruto chuckled. The Anbu member looked concerned, "Naruto I have something I want to tell you. Don't use lava, boil, or wood unless absolutely necessary. Danzo would have a heart attack if he saw you using lava in the chunin exams."

Naruto looked disappointed, "Aw, c'mon…I can't use them?"

"You'll end up killing somebody with that…and if you use Mokuton jutsus, then Danzo is going to send ROOT agents after you…believe me you don't want that kind of attention," Yamato explained.

"Who's Danzo?" The blonde asked curiously.

"Danzo is the leader of ROOT and is also one of the village elders. He is unaware of your heritage so it would be best if you kept it a secret unless absolutely necessary."

"Alright…I won't use my bloodlines then," Naruto agreed.

"Good…let's continue your training…I'm sure if you were able to perform lava and boil in two weeks then you're bound to get Mokuton down in another two," Yamato concluded.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well there you go…that was Chapter Five! Okay well let me go ahead and explain a few things.

1. I know that Naruto and Sasuke are ridiculously powerful for their ages…there is a reason behind that. Plus it will be significant in future chapters.

2. There is going to be a lot of action going down in the chunin exams…next chapter! Woohoo! Everybody's favorite part LOL

3. I put foreshadowing in blinking neon lights this chapter. That may give some of you an idea about what might happen.

4. When I say this is a Dark fic, I meant that Naruto is an anti-hero…he won't necessarily be evil, but he's not going to be Captain sunshine and forgive when he finds out the truth. I will leave it at that.

Anyways thanks for reading…


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Chunin Exams Part One**

Two long hard weeks had gone by for Sasuke and surprisingly for Sakura. Kakashi took time to individually train each girl in different things and forced them to get along during this time.

Sasuke was getting the hang of lightning now that she understood it and would practice it alone when Kakashi trained Sakura. The jounin took special care to help the girl become more proficient at the basics and even volunteered to teach her ninjutsu but due to Sakura's low chakra level they didn't make much progress with it.

Kakashi was more focused on Sasuke during the past two weeks of training. The girl managed to get chidori down and was very adept with lightning. In two short weeks her progress was simply unbelievable to Kakashi.

Although with her Sharingan he knew that it probably made the matter easier. Kakashi and Sasuke were currently sparring in a lightning duel as the jounin had come to call them. He was impressed that Sasuke managed to develop a useful ability on her own.

It was similar to the Raikage's lightning armor although it was on a much smaller scale. Nevertheless the jounin had copied Sasuke's lighting armor and the two trained with it. He knew for a fact that Sasuke was probably just as powerful as Naruto based on some of her abilities.

'_She's going to be very powerful one day,_' The jounin thought as the two finished a long spar. It was only noon, but today Kakashi decided to call off Team Seven's training and to get them signed up for the chunin exams. "Sasuke…go get Sakura and meet me at the academy I am going to get Naruto."

The Uchiha nodded as the jounin disappeared in a puff of smoke. Two weeks past the incident with Naruto and Sakura hadn't changed much about how Sasuke still felt about the situation. Nevertheless, she pushed aside her grudge with Sakura for the sake of the approaching chunin exams tomorrow.

The girl made her way back to the bridge and spotted Sakura training hard. The Uchiha had an indifferent look on her face and spoke casually, "Kakashi said to meet him at the academy…" Without another word Sasuke turned and left.

Sakura shook her head and huffed at the Uchiha as she left, '_Damn I hate her…whatever, at least she hasn't tried to kill me lately._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kakashi made his way into the Forest of Death and landed next to Yamato as he watched Naruto train. The jounin looked curious as he saw Naruto standing calmly in a large clearing.

"Oh senpai…you arrived just in time for the finale," Yamato noted as he pointed towards the blonde. The copy nin cocked his head curiously, "How much progress has he made?"

"A lot…Naruto has unbelievable stamina. You should see how he trains," The mokuton user answered.

Kakashi watched interested as Naruto went through two hand seals, "Mokuton Hijutsu: Jukai Kōtan!" (Deep Forest Creation)

The copy nin could barely believe his eyes as the entire clearing began to sprout numerous roots and branches which soon turned into trees.

The jounin looked over at Yamato and shook his head, "This is unreal…he was able to learn it?"

"That's not the best part. Keep watching senpai…" Yamato laughed.

Kakashi turned his focus back towards Naruto and saw the boy going through another series of hand seals, "Mokuton: Jukai Heki!" (Wood Release: Dense Woodland Wall) A net pattern of branches formed from the ground in front of Naruto.

The blond proceeded to going through another set of hand seals, "Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu!"

(Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique) Naruto fired a blanket of magma from his mouth and covered the entire wall as well as several trees.

"Wow…" Kakashi simply stated.

"Do you even know how he trains? He mass trains with shadow clones…it's simply remarkable. Naruto said that is how he masters jutsus so quickly," Yamato explained.

"How many shadow clones are we talking about?" The jounin asked shocked.

Yamato shook his head and laughed, "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you…I am shocked that he hasn't died from it yet."

"I hope you warned him not to use any of his bloodlines in the chunin exams…I don't want Naruto killing people with that stuff…or worse getting Danzo's full attention," Kakashi stated worried.

"Don't worry, senpai…I told him he should only use them if he is in a life-threatening situation," Yamato replied.

Naruto caught sight of the new arrival and quickly landed in front of Kakashi, "Sensei, good to see you. Are we finally signing up for the chunin exams?"

The jounin nodded his head, "Yes Naruto, follow me to the academy. Sasuke and Sakura are both already waiting for us."

"Okay…thanks again for the training Yamato-sensei," Naruto thanked the Anbu member. Yamato nodded his head, "It was an honor to train the future Hokage."

His comment brought a bright smile to Naruto's face.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Upon arriving at the academy both Sasuke and Sakura looked annoyed. "I've been waiting for two hours!" Sakura shouted at Kakashi.

He sighed at the girl and shrugged, "Yeah sorry…you see me and Naruto saw a black cat cross our path on the way here and had to go around the village so we wouldn't have bad luck and jinx the exams."

Both Sasuke and Sakura looked put off by the excuse. "Whatever…just tell us where to sign up." Sasuke sighed.

"Alright, you three, go into the academy and fill out the necessary paperwork. Once it's done, report back here tomorrow at seven A.M. sharp. The first exam begins at Eight."

The three genin nodded as they headed inside to fill out their necessary paperwork. Upon entering, they spotted a long row of tables and a bunch of people standing in lines. They each got into a separate line and began to fill out the paperwork. Naruto nearly laughed at several of the papers.

'_I pledge that I am in every way responsible for anything that can possibly occur in the exams and I won't hold Konoha responsible…hahaha! We're ninjas and we have to sign a contract so we can't sue Konoha?_' Naruto thought.

"**These villagers never cease to amaze me with how pointlessly stupid they are…"**

After finishing their task the three genin left the building and met Kakashi back outside. He eyed each of them sternly and spoke in a serious tone, "Don't be late…your first exam is tomorrow at eight. Show up an hour early so that you can beat the crowds…also the three of you are a team. Don't forget that applies to every aspect of this exam. Should one of you fail…you all fail. Understand?"

"Yes!" The three genin nodded in unison.

"Alright, well feel free to enjoy the rest of the day…don't stay up late and I would recommend taking a break from training as well," Kakashi finally finished.

"Sounds good to me…" Naruto said.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After their afternoon sign up, Naruto casually strolled through Konoha bored as he thought about what to do. He politely told Sakura that he wanted to go see the Hokage, but really he just wanted alone time. Naruto didn't feel like entertaining the girl at the moment.

He was extremely anxious for the exams tomorrow and couldn't wait to blow through it. As he strolled by on a back street, he saw a black clad boy with purple markings on his face holding a kid up by his shirt.

Naruto casually walked up and examined the sight. "Let go of me you big bully! I am the Hokage's grandson and he will punish you once he finds out about this!"

"Yeah right…" Kankuro laughed as he reared his arm back to punch the boy. As he swung however, he felt something catch his arm.

"Is there a problem here?" Naruto asked casually. "There's about to be a fucking problem if you don't let go of my arm!" Kanuro shouted.

"Make my day…" Naruto laughed.

The puppet user did just that as he dropped the boy and turned to swing at Naruto. The blonde easily grabbed his fist and slung Kankuro over his shoulder.

The boy got angry as he jumped up and charged Naruto. The blonde simply high kicked in the face and sent him to the ground with a bloody nose. Kankuro shouted in pain as he covered his face, "You son of a bitch!"

Upon closer inspection Naruto noticed that the boy had a different symbol on his headband. It was a gourd. That clearly led Naruto to assume, "So you're from Suna?"

Kankuro stood up painfully and shouted, "No shit asshole!"

"Well I suggest you stop bullying little kids unless you want to go missing…" Naruto threatened.

This caused Kankuro to look shocked that somebody would actually threaten him.

"I'm going to kick your ass you Konoha piece of shit!" Kankuro yelled as reached for his puppet.

"Kankuro, stop!" the puppet user instantly froze upon hearing the cold dark voice of Gaara.

The jinchuuriki was hanging from a tree glaring at his brother. Kankuro instantly backed away, "You're lucky pal…"

"Yeah whatever…" Naruto started to walk away with a careless look on his face. "Wait, you with the blonde hair!"

Naruto turned around and saw Gaara as well as a blonde girl standing next to the bleeding Kankuro. "What?" Naruto said.

"What is your name?" Gaara asked curiously.

"Naruto Uzumaki…you'll know it very well when you see me win the finals," Naruto stated.

Temari crossed her arms and laughed at the boy, "None of you Konoha types stand a chance against Gaara…if you intended on winning this year you are gravely outmatched dude…"

"**I don't like these little arrogant pricks…fucking threaten them please!"**

'_Only because you said please…'_

"We could find out right here and now if you'd like!" Naruto threatened darkly.

Both Kankuro and Temari began to laugh at Naruto's threat, but Gaara on the other hand narrowed his eyes, "Don't laugh…he is not joking."

This caused Kankuro and Temari to look at their younger brother shocked.

"You'll have your chance soon enough, Naruto Uzumaki." Gaara plainly stated with a dark look on his face.

"**I like this kid…"**

Without another word Gaara turned to leave. Both Kankuro and Temari traded confused glances as they began to follow Gaara. The boy Naruto managed to rescue peeked around the corner and started to thank him, "Thanks a lot! You really saved me back there boss!"

"Umm…who are you kid?" Naruto asked confused.

"I'm Konohamaru, I am the Hokage's grandson," The boy answered.

"Oh…well be careful from now on and try not to anger enemy ninja," Naruto said as he began to set off.

"You were so cool back there telling those three jerks off! You're my new boss!" Konohamaru stated proudly as he followed Naruto.

He turned around and chuckled at the boy's attitude, "Alright…well Konohamaru, I'll talk to you later…right now I have business to take care of."

"Cool!" The boy shouted as Naruto jumped onto a rooftop and distanced himself.

"**The last thing you need is another idiot following you around."**

'_I think Asuma-sensei told me about him once or twice. I guess I should get to know him better…but for the time being I really don't feel like entertaining anybody.'_

The jinchuuriki sighed as he sat on a rooftop, '_Tomorrow is going to be a long fun filled day_…'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The following day, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all made it an hour early to the academy for the chunin exams. Upon reaching the entrance they found Kakashi leaning against a wall casually.

"Good…you three came on time. Go inside and take your exam…I will be watching when you three make it to the finals. Good luck."

"As if we need it…" Sasuke smirked.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto smiled.

The three genin entered the doors to the academy and began to make their way towards room 301.

"This first part is probably a written exa-" Sakura said but was cut off as a green leotard wearing boy leapt in front of the three.

"Yosh! Which one of you is Sasuke Uchiha?" The boy demanded fiercely.

"I am…" Sasuke stated annoyed as she eyed the boy cautiously. He had a dark bowl cut hair style and super large eyebrows.

"You're a girl?" The boy asked confused.

"Who the fuck are you? Why are you wasting our time?" Sasuke demanded irritated.

"I wish to challenge you in a fight! For you see, I am going to win the chunin exams and I am the number one genin this year!"

"No thanks," Sasuke simply sighed as she walked past the boy.

"W-what? You can't just refuse! That'll force me to instigate the fight unfairly."

The Uchiha sighed as she turned around, "If you're as good as you say you are then we're bound to face each other in the finals. I suggest you get out of the way so we can get to our exam."

"Very well…I am the glorious Rock Lee! I look forward to our youthful battle of glory!" The boy exclaimed proudly.

"Yeah whatever…" Sasuke shrugged as she turned around and kept walking. Upon seeing Sakura, the boy immediately ran over and grabbed her hands, "Who might you be wonderful blossom of youth?"

"Err…Sakura Haruno," The girl nervously answered.

"Yosh! How would you like to be my girlfriend!" Lee asked loudly.

"I'm already taken…" Sakura stated as she pointed at Naruto. Rock Lee looked at the blonde curiously, "Who might you be?"

"Naruto Uzumaki…" The blonde answered.

"Ah…weren't you the dead last in this year's graduating class? You are not worthy to date the glorious Sakura-chan!" Lee stated.

"Yep, anyways good luck in the exam" Naruto smiled at the boy as he walked past him. Sakura followed leaving Lee alone on the steps. The next half hour was spent searching for their exam room. They were approached several different times by people asking about Sasuke.

The Uchiha didn't bother acknowledging any of them except for a Hyuuga boy. After a brief search, the three genin finally came upon a set of double doors and walked through them.

Inside the large room were no less than a hundred or so genin. They all eyed the newcomers like meat. Sasuke had a look on her face that said she owned everybody in the room.

Naruto had a I'm going to kick all of your asses look.

Sakura seemed to be the only one who was nervous by the hundred genin staring intensely at them

Naruto simply crossed his arms and scoped out the competition. About half of the participants were from Konoha but the others seemed to vary from different villages. They all eyed the blonde curiously as he grinned at them.

Gaara and his siblings instantly caught sight of the boy and began to direct a death glare at him.

"Wow…I can't believe you three are actually going to take the chunin exams!" Kiba shouted as he looked over team seven.

"I'm going to win the finals inu-bitch…" Sasuke stated plainly as she glared at the dog boy. He was unsurprised by the girl's cold demeanor.

"Ah, you're still the biggest bitch on the planet I see!" Kiba shot back.

Team eight followed Kiba over towards the newly arrived team seven. Hinata and Shino both greeted Naruto.

"Hello Naruto-kun, it is good to see you here," Shino said politely.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata barely managed to say as she smiled at the boy.

The blonde smiled and waved at Hinata and Shino, "Good to see you two again. You feeling any better Hinata?"

"Y-yes…my sister said that you asked about m-me…H-h-how a-are y-you?" the girl stuttered.

"**T-t-t-today Bitch! W-w-w-why do y-y-you st-st-stutter? HAHAHA!" **Kyuubi mocked Hinata's stuttering.

"What the hell are you two doing? Stop kissing this chump's ass. He is the dead last after all!" Kiba yelled at his team mates.

Team ten spotted the commotion and instantly ran over towards the rest of rookie nine. "Well…they actually let Naruto into the chunin exams…" Shikamaru sighed as he shook his head.

"Spare me the attitude Shikamaru…shouldn't you be getting off on clouds right now or something?" Naruto replied.

"Whatever…your not worth my time. Too troublesome…" The shadow user sighed.

Ino instantly took the opportunity to step in front of Naruto, "What's up Naruto?" She was smiling oddly at him causing him to raise a brow.

"Umm…is there something you need?" the boy asked as Ino continued to stare at him.

"Well…" Before Ino could answer, Sasuke cut in venomously, "Walk away…Ino."

Ino was put off by the girl's words but before she could counter it, a grey haired man called out, "Hey, you guys are the rookies this year right?"

Everybody turned their attention towards Kabuto as he approached the nine genin.

"Yes…" Shikamaru sighed.

"Well you guys might want to keep it down unless you intend on pissing off all of them," Kabuto pointed at the majority of the genin glaring at the rookies.

Everybody with the exception of Naruto and Sasuke looked concerned by the stares. Naruto shook his head and laughed, "None of them have the balls to stop me!"

"**Hahahahaha! Oh I might actually enjoy this day."**

"Naruto! Are you trying to piss off the competition?" Kiba shouted.

After his challenging remark, Naruto instantly received many angry glares, several people even made kill gestures. The blonde wasn't fazed in anyway whatsoever as he focused back on Kabuto.

"Who are you?" Shikamaru asked the grey haired man. Kabuto pushed his glasses up and smiled, "My name is Kabuto…I am a genin just like you nine. I have some pretty useful pointers if you guys need some. This is my seventh time taking the exam."

Everybody with the exception of Sasuke eyed the man curiously. "Seventh time? What the hell?" Shikamaru crossed his arms.

"The exam is held twice a year. This is my fourth year taking it," Kabuto explained.

"Oh…yeah well I'm sure that makes your advice valuable," Naruto said sarcastically.

"Oh it does…I have a lot of interesting information about all of the contestants this year…including you guys of course," Kabuto smiled.

Everybody from rookie nine and all of the other genin in the room perked up interested as Kabuto pulled out a bunch of cards, "These are my ninja info cards…just give me a name of anybody competing and I will show you stuff on them."

"Show me Sasuke Uchiha," A greed clad boy ran over to Kabuto. He looked at Rock Lee curiously and nodded, "Very well…"

Kabuto placed the card on the ground and began to spin it. Afterwards a picture of Sasuke as well as other interesting information began to cover the blank card.

"According to this card…Sasuke Uchiha has completed twenty D rank missions and one A rank," Kabuto read the last part shocked.

"What the fuck?" Everybody from rookie nine shouted as they stared the Uchiha shocked.

"That's classified information…" Sasuke sighed as she shook her head at the man.

"What else does it say?" Lee demanded.

Kabuto continued to read the card, "Apparently Sasuke Uchiha is extremely talented in ninjutsu and taijutsu. She possesses average genjutsu level and is also the number one rookie this year. Sasuke Uchiha is a jounin level genin."

"That sounds like a load of crap…" Shikamaru yawned. Naruto shook his head and chuckled to himself, '_Those cards are pretty accurate I'll bet…but something isn't right about that guy. How would he have all this information on us?_'

"**I wouldn't trust four eyes there…"**

"Have anybody else you want to ask about?" Kabuto smiled as he pressed his glasses up again.

Kankuro immediately made his way over to the man and spoke up, "I want to see your card on Naruto Uzumaki!"

This received the attention of many people in the room as they all perked up interested about the renegade blonde.

Rookie nine especially tensed up curiously as they eyed Kankuro curiously. Everyone from Rookie Nine excluding Team Seven gathered around Kabuto.

Kiba shook his head and laughed, "Naruto is probably the weakest person in here!"

"Come on bitch, show it to me!" Kankuro demanded.

Kabuto looked at the boy, "Curious are you? He must have made a lasting impression."

"Just show me the damn card asshole!" Kankuro shouted as he sent a cold glare towards Naruto. Gaara had a slightly interested look on his face as he stared at Kabuto.

"Very well…" Kabuto spun the blank card and Naruto's information and picture covered the card. Before Kabuto could read it, Kankuro snatched the card from his hand and read it to himself.

A brief moment of silence passed before a worried look crossed the puppet user's face, "This can't be right…"

"Let me see…" Kabuto took the card back and began to read it aloud, "Naruto Uzumaki has completed twenty D rank missions and one A rank. His team mates are Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno. He is extremely proficient in ninjutsu and taijutsu and possesses minor genjutsu. He is most notably known for having a massive chakra level. Naruto Uzumaki is a jounin level genin."

This caused everybody in the room to focus their attention on the vacant blonde who was carelessly staring at the floor lost in thought. _'I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when I win the finals_.'

"Impossible! He was the dead last in the academy!" Shikamaru stated as he snatched the card and read it.

"Was he now? Well I'm sure it's just a mistake then…" Kabuto stated calmly as he put his cards away. Ino crossed her arms and looked at Sakura curiously, "When the hell did you guys do an A rank mission?"

Much to her surprise Naruto answered, "We went to Wave Country about a month ago. It is a classified mission."

"That's bullshit! Genin aren't allowed to do A rank missions…Hell chunin aren't even allowed to do them! You're a liar Uzumaki!" Kiba yelled.

"Shut up before I put you in a hospital!" Naruto threatened with an angry glare on his face. Everybody in the room was completely shocked by his attitude as Naruto began to direct killing intent towards Kiba.

The dog boy reluctantly backed away as Naruto walked towards him, "Shit…chill out Uzumaki. What the hell happened to you?"

The blonde sighed as he returned to his normal demeanor, "Let that be a warning to everybody in this room."

Hinata looked at Naruto concerned, "A-are y-you okay N-Naruto-kun?"

Suddenly a trio of Sound nin began to speed towards Naruto. However, before they could reach the boy, they were instantly taken down as Sasuke intercepted them with unseen speed. The Uchiha knocked all three genin to the ground and stood in front of a casual Naruto glaring at the genin.

"Thanks Sasuke…" Naruto thanked his team mate, but as he expected she simply ignored him and looked away.

The Uchiha's display put a lot of genin on their toes at how fast she was. Rookie nine was especially impressed by the display. Before anybody could say anything, a loud cough sounded, "If you kids are done rough housing we will start the first part of the exam!"

Everybody instantly turned to the door to see a newly arrived group of graders as well as a trench coat wearing scarred man.

"My name is Ibiki and I will be your first examiner for the written part of the chunin exam," The man said darkly.

He scoped out the room and shook his head as the embarrassed sound nin got up and headed back to their seats. Ibiki spotted everybody from Rookie nine and yelled at them, "Are you kids too cool for the exam! Sit down!"

Everybody did as commanded. Naruto nodded his head respectfully as he sat down in an open seat in the room. Naruto was seated directly in between two random grass nin.

Ibiki began to speak again, "As I said, you will all take a written exam to test your knowledge on basic shinobi skills. There are only nine questions on the test. Once you finish answering them and we have only fifteen minutes left, I will give you your tenth question. Do you understand?"

"Why do we have to take a written test? This is stupid…" Temari stated as she crossed her arms.

"Calm down pig tails…otherwise I'll fail you for back talking!" Ibiki shouted.

Temari reluctantly shut up as Ibiki handed a large stack of papers to some random chunin. The man split the stack and began to pass them out through the aisles of genin.

"Your exam begins now!" Ibiki shouted.

Naruto looked at the exam and began to read over several of the questions. '_What the fuck is this crap? They can't possibly expect me to know what the most famous bloodline from Suna was_…'

"**Iron sand…easy."**

'_I forgot you were here…maybe you can help me answer some of these then.'_ Naruto suggested as he filled in the first answer. He proceeded to the next one, '_What are the names of three legendary sannin and what were their special summons…well this one is easy enough'_

Naruto filled in the answers and moved on. He noticed a lot of the questions seemed ridiculously complex and shook his head, 'How is this crap relevant to becoming a chunin?'

"**You're so dense…the answers aren't relevant. The way you get them is what makes this test important. Look around…everybody else is cheating."**

'_Oh I get it now…hmmm, well I guess I should copy this guy's test next to me. He is already finished…'_ The blonde used his peripheral vision and noticed the long haired grass nin next to him was unusually effeminate.

'_That guy knew all the answers…wait is that even a guy?_'

"**Just copy his damn test…"** Doing as commanded, the boy copied the grass nin's test.

Naruto placed his pencil down finished and casually leaned back in his seat as he crossed his arms. He managed to spot Sasuke and Sakura. Both had calm looks on their faces causing the genin to relax, '_Good…well I can't wait until this crap is over._'

After what seemed like forever Ibiki finally spoke up, "All right! Now it is time for the tenth question. However there are certain rules you must understand about this final question."

"Just give us the damn question!" Kankuro sighed at the examiner's explanation. (Gotta love Kankuro)

"First of all…before I ask you the question you must know the rules. Should you refuse to accept the tenth question then you and everybody on your team instantly fails. Also if you get the question wrong then you will never be allowed to take the chunin exams again. Either way you're faced with a difficult decision."

"**This guy is lying…this is obviously some kind of psyche evaluation."**

'_Well damn…just tell me everything Kyuubi hahaha!'_

"**Hahahaha!" **the two laughed together as Naruto saw the frightened looks on some people's faces.

After a few minutes of awkward silence several people began to crack and started filing out of the room.

"**Bitches…this is actually an interesting part of this exam. It weeds out all of the pretenders and cowards."**

'_I wonder how Sasuke and Sakura are doing…' _Naruto thought as he looked over towards his team mates. Sasuke had an emotionless look on her face with her arms crossed. Sakura looked slightly nervous but her resolve held steady.

'_Well as long as Sakura doesn't crack then we're good to go_,' Naruto concluded as he smirked at Ibiki.

The blonde's amused look didn't go unnoticed by the examiner. He inwardly sighed as he stared at the jinchuuriki, '_This kid figured it out…interesting._'

"This isn't fair! How can you expect us to answer a question like this?" Kiba shouted at the man. Ibiki grinned as turned his gaze towards the dog boy, "Life's not fair kid…"

"Why won't we ever be allowed to take the exam again? It wasn't like that last year?" Some random genin asked.

Ibiki shook his head, "I guess you guys are just unlucky that they chose me to be an examiner this time."

Several more people began to file out of the room. It was a domino effect, and before they knew it, more than half of the people quit the exam.

Finally with five minutes left Ibiki crossed his arms, "Well I guess it's been long enough…It is finally to tell you guys. I have only one thing left to say."

"Oh and what's that?" Temari sassed.

"You all pass!" Ibiki announced.

Everybody traded confused looks as chorus of questions began to erupt.

The examiner held his hand up and sighed, "Before you start asking more questions…let me explain. The tenth question is presented as a test in itself. It is designed to determine how much you are willing to risk to achieve your goal. By presenting you with a no win situation, we are able to weed out the people that are much more likely to crack under heavy pressure on a real mission. It determines who has the willpower to be a chunin."

Temari crossed her arms and scoffed, "That's stupid…why bother with these other nine questions then?"

Ibiki sighed as he answered the girl, "The other nine questions were not really a test of intelligence but of information gathering. Those caught cheating instantly failed, but to answer the questions you had to cheat. Most of the questions are things that would only be known by separate nations…you had to steal the answers from each other to get them all."

"What's the point of that though?" some random genin asked.

"Similar to an actual reconnaissance mission…you will be required to gather information without getting caught. However if you get caught then you compromise yourself and your team and then you end up dead," Ibiki explained.

"When do we start the second part of the exam?" Naruto asked out of nowhere.

Before the examiner could answer him, the window shattered as a woman dove into the room planting two kunai attacked to a banner on the ceiling.

Everybody was shocked at the entrance as the purple haired woman looked around curiously, "Wow Ibiki…you passed this many? Sheesh…you're getting pretty soft."

The man sighed and shook his head, "Maybe this year's bunch are just better."

Anko laughed and looked over the room, "Alright listen up! You kids have had it easy with your little pencil pushing test, but now the real stuff begins so follow me!"

'_I know her…she's the woman I ran into a few weeks ago_?' Naruto thought as he eyed the woman curiously.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The passing teams all followed Anko to the entrance of a gated Forest area which Naruto knew all too well. As they gathered around one of the entrances Naruto laughed to himself, '_Forest of Death huh? Oh I can definitely dish out some ass kicking in there_!'

Anko caught everybody's attention and began to speak, "Welcome maggots to the second part of the chunin exam! You're all gonna love this next test!"

The snake mistress' dark smile gave a few people chills as she began to pace in front of the teams, "Behind me is Training Ground Forty-four…but we like to call it the Forest of Death! Each team will have to survive inside the Forest and get both a Heaven and Earth scroll."

Anko pulled out two different looking scrolls. Everybody eyed her curiously awaiting for the woman to continue, "Each team will be given only one scroll and will have to fight another team to get the one they need. One of your team mates will be secretly given the scroll before we begin so you'll have to find out what team has the one you need."

Worried looks crossed many faces as Anko soaked in their fear.

"Once your team has both scrolls, you will head to the tower located in the center of the Forest and you will proceed to the next part of the exam. However…there are a few ground rules you should be made aware of…First, you automatically fail if you open either of the scrolls. We'll be able to tell if you do. Second, if anybody on your team dies or is unable to make it to the tower, then all three fail," The woman explained.

Several people gulped as Anko began to lick her lips, "Also, the last rule if you don't make it within five days you fail as well."

Ino shook her head and yelled, "What? You can't expect us to stay in a forest for five whole days!"

"Oh but I can…unless you want to drop out right now?" Anko laughed.

The blonde reluctantly quieted down.

"Okay we'll now randomly select each member from your team and conceal the scroll with your carrier. Feel free to switch it up once you enter the Forest," Anko commented.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The following hour was spent preparing for the entrance into the Forest of Death. Unfortunately for team seven, their carrier happened to be Sakura, but Naruto had every intention of taking the scroll once they entered.

Each team lined up at different gates before they were finally permitted to go. Team Seven charged inside full speed. Naruto instinctively took point as they progressed further into the forest.

When they were a considerable distance away from the gate, Naruto turned towards Sakura, "Give me the scroll Sakura."

The girl nodded her head and landed on a nearby branch. She handed the Earth Scroll to Naruto, "It's safer with you anyways."

"Well before we go any further I suggest we come up with a strategy," The raven haired girl cut in.

Naruto nodded his head in agreement, "You're right Sasuke…since we have an Earth Scroll, we're going to need a Heaven. We have five days, but I don't intend on spending that long to get a scroll. We should intercept some chump team and take their scroll."

"That sounds like a quick and efficient plan. How do you want to do this exactly? Are we going to just rush straight to the tower and bottleneck the unsuspecting teams or do you just want to go hunting?" Sasuke asked.

This caused the blonde to think for a moment, "Hmm…It would be a good idea to eliminate as much of the competition as possible, but first thing's first, we should go hunt down other teams until we have our Heaven Scroll."

Sasuke nodded her head at the mention, "That sounds reasonable enough to me. I would recommend setting up an ambush as well."

"Good plan, Sasuke," Naruto nodded.

"What do you two mean by 'hunt?'" Sakura asked concerned.

"Exactly what it sounds like…we're going to take their scroll by force and kill them if they try to stop us," Sasuke said coldly.

Sakura's eyes widened a bit until Naruto spoke up, "We won't kill them unless absolutely necessary, Sakura. Don't worry about fighting…just leave that to me and Sasuke."

"O-Okay…" Sakura said worried.

"Let's go," Naruto stated as he set off again. Sasuke and Sakura followed behind him and the three genin traveled further into the forest.

As they made their way closer to the center of the Forest of Death, Naruto's mind was trailing, '_I hope nobody finds my bloodline scroll in here…I should probably go and pick it up. We're not too far from my training ground_…'

"**You can do that later…plus there are more important things to worry about right now."**

'_What do you mean?' _Naruto asked Kyuubi confused. The fox just chuckled in response, **"You might want to dodge the trap in front of you…"**

"Everybody stop!" Naruto ordered holding a hand up as he landed on a large tree branch. Sasuke and Sakura landed behind him.

"What is it, Naruto?" the pink haired girl asked worried.

"You see it too right, Sasuke?" Naruto asked the Uchiha girl. She nodded in response, "There's a trap directly ahead of us. Whoever set it up must have been an expert…we haven't been in this forest for more than two hours."

"What trap? I don't see a trap?" Sakura asked. Naruto pointed at a barely visible series of trip wires scattered in front of them.

The blonde sighed and looked over towards Sasuke, "Help me out here, Sasuke…give me some fire."

The Uchiha nodded as the two genin began to cycle through hand seals.

"Fūton: Daitoppa!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough)

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)

The combo lit up and triggered a long series of explosions and traps in front of them. Shuriken and senbon needles rained in all directions as well as kunai exploding tags.

After the attack, Naruto examined the aftermath. The destruction of the traps left a large opening in front of them that led to a sun lit clearing.

"We're bound to find whoever made those over there," Sasuke pointed. Naruto nodded and three began racing towards the location.

As they landed in the sunny clearing, they spotted Rain and Grass genin squads battling. Both sides were unaware of the third party.

"Naruto, I want you to use one of your water jutsus on them…I have something special for these guys," Sasuke said darkly.

"I'll go in and distract them…flank them as soon as I have their attention," Naruto added.

Without another word, the blonde charged into the fray of the two battling teams. Both sides were completely caught off guard as Naruto shouted, "Suiton Suihashu!" (Water Wave Hand)

All six enemy genin were blindsided by a massive blast of water from Naruto. This sent several flying into nearby trees and one into the stream directly behind them.

One of the Rain nin spotted Naruto and started shouting, "It's a Leaf genin! Get him!"

He and one of his team mates charged the blonde but were instantly stopped in their tracks when both felt a kunai pressed against their throats.

"Who has your scroll?" Sasuke demanded as she applied more pressure to the two blades. Both looked worried as the Uchiha's hands began to twitch.

"Answer me or die!" Sasuke's voice was much angrier that time. One tried to reach for the blade and met an untimely end at the hands of the Uchiha. The other one looked horrified as his team mate fell over dead. Naruto looked into Sasuke's eyes concerned.

'_Holy shit! Sasuke just killed that guy! I…can't believe she actually did it._'

"**She's very similar to you…I'm sure killing people isn't as difficult for somebody like her."**

'_How do you figure?_' Naruto asked as his eyes searched for the grass genin that seemed to have disappeared.

The third member of the rain genin squad saw his dead team mate as he got out of the water and looked horrified. Sasuke turned her gaze towards him and glared, "Give us your scroll or I'll kill him too."

Without thinking, the genin charged towards Sasuke but soon found a kunai sticking through his neck. The now unarmed Sasuke turned towards her hostage and growled, "Where is your fucking scroll!"

"You mean these scrolls?" A tall effeminate grass nin said as he held an earth and a heaven scroll in his hands. His other two team mates landed a short distance away from him.

Wasting no time, Sasuke instantly charged towards the genin with her fist raised but was shocked as he managed to catch it effortlessly.

The grass nin clenched Sasuke's fist tighter and started to chuckle, "Pretty strong for a girl…"

"I'll show you strong!" Sasuke growled as she began to assail the man furiously.

Meanwhile, Naruto spotted Sakura trying to evade the two other grass nin. The pink haired girl ran back into the forest much to Naruto's annoyance. '_Damn it we can't get separated…_'

The blonde traded looks between Sasuke and the area where Sakura just ran away to. '_Sasuke can handle herself until I get Sakura…we'll be fail if they kill her. She doesn't stand a chance against them_.'

Naruto headed for the direction of the fearful Sakura and her pursuers. It didn't take him too long, but he was able to zero in on her location. She was pinned against a tree as one of the grass genin held a blade to her throat.

"Where's your scroll girly?" the one with the kunai asked angrily.

Another chimed in, "Yeah where's the scroll? What kind is it too?"

"Don't you guys already have both scrolls?" Sakura whimpered fearfully.

"Yeah…but we're going to stock up on extras! Now which one of you has it?" the genin repeated himself.

Before Sakura had a chance to say anything, her restrainer was sent flying courtesy of a powerful kick from Naruto.

The others looked worried as the genin pulled out his trench blades. Naruto channeled wind chakra over them and stared the rain nin down, "I suggest you two leave unless you want me to kill you!"

They both exchanged angry glances until one spoke up, "Hey you're that arrogant Konoha kid that said we didn't have the balls to face you!"

Another looked worried when he spotted the wind chakra around Naruto's blades, "Bro…I say we get the hell out of here. This kid means business!"

"Shut up coward! Leader would kill you if he heard you say that!" The man shouted as he and his teammate charged Naruto. The blonde reared his two weapons back and began to channel more chakra into them. Sakura looked worried as the two young men each stabbed at the boy.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted worried. Thankfully, before the grass nin could touch Naruto, he swiped his arms and sent a massive blast of wind at the two enemies point blank. They all went flying and crashed hard against the splintering trees.

Without wasting any time, Naruto looked at Sakura, "C'mon! We have to get back to Sasuke!"

The girl nodded and followed the boy as he sped back towards the clearing.

Meanwhile back at the clearing, said Uchiha was in a death match with the grass nin. He seemed to be enjoying the irritated attitude the girl was starting to acquire.

"Your speed is rather impressive…Sasuke-hime."

"How do you know my name?" The Sharingan wielder demanded.

The grass ninja's unusually long tongue licked his lips as he grinned, "Oh I know a lot about you…I keep a close eye on future…investments."

This caused the raven haired girl to jump back in shock as she stared the man down horrified. He smiled deeply as he pulled his hat off, "I know you're capable of so much more than that dear sweet girl."

"I'll show you sweet you mother fucker…" Sasuke muttered icily as she activated her Sharingan. The effeminate grass nin began to giggle at the sight of seeing Sasuke's eyes.

"Your eyes look just like Itachi's…Sasuke-hime."

This caused rage to flare through the Uchiha's veins as she flashed through a series of hand seals, "Fuck you! Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" (Balsam spread fire) A barrage of fire balls began to launch from the girl's mouth as they shot towards the grass nin.

He managed to evade the jutsu and laughed, "You're not going to kill your brother with those kinds of basic jutsus…"

"Who the hell are you? Why do you know so much about me?" The Uchiha asked angrily. The man giggled evilly as he reached for his face and began to peel it off. Sasuke found the sight utterly repulsive but couldn't advert her eyes as she saw golden snake eyes and the pale face underneath.

"My name is Orochimaru…I am a lot like you dear Sasuke-hime. That is…I want the same things," The pale man said venomously.

Sasuke cocked her head confused at the name, "How the hell are you Orochimaru? Isn't he like fifty years old? Why are you in the chunin exams?"

"Why…to find you of course, pretty little thing." Before the Uchiha could react in time, the sannin's neck stretched a ridiculous length and bit her on the neck.

She grimaced in agony as her body began to burn painfully. "I know true power…I want you to remember that should you survive the cursed seal of heaven. Farewell, Sasuke-hime…I look forward to seeing you again."

The Uchiha dropped to her knees and writhed in pain. Orochimaru began to run away but was blindsided by a pissed off Naruto. The sannin eyed the boy in front of him amused, "Oh…if it isn't the wonderful fox kid."

"What did you do to Sasuke?" Naruto yelled as he worriedly examined his unconscious team mate. The snake sannin licked his lips as he sized up Naruto, "No need to concern yourself with that kid…I'm leaving."

Orochimaru began to take off without warning. Naruto quickly turned towards Sakura, "Watch Sasuke until I get back!" The girl nodded her head as the blonde trailed after Orochimaru at blazing speed.

It didn't take long before Naruto caught up with the man and speared him to the ground. The sannin leapt up and laughed as Naruto stood across from him in a fighting stance, "You are amusing Kyuubi kid."

'_How does he know about that? Who is this guy?_' Naruto's eyes widened. The pale snake man ran a hand through his hair as he soaked in Naruto's worried look.

"Who are you?" the jinchuuriki demanded. The sannin began to eye him up and down, "My name is unimportant…I'm more interested in your relations with nine tails."

The boy glared darkly at the man, "Just how in the world does a foreign ninja know about Kyuubi?"

"You don't seem surprised…did somebody finally tell you the truth? Was it Jiraiya? That old fool did always have a soft spot for you," Orochmaru laughed.

Naruto narrowed his brow at the man, "Kyuubi did."

This caused the pale man to cock his head interested, "Really now…you spoke with the nine tails?"

"**Don't underestimate this man…he is Orochimaru the sannin. I'd remember those snake eyes from anywhere."**

"Orochimaru…I know who you are," Naruto stated. This caught the man slightly off guard, "How did you find that out unless…oh hahahahahaha, your seal is damaged! That can only mean one thing…"

This caused the jinchuuriki to shake his head, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"This has been an amusing conversation, kid, but I don't really have time for this," The sannin giggled.

"You're going to pay for whatever the fuck you just did to Sasuke!" Naruto growled as his eyes began to turn red. Upon seeing this, Orochimaru began to grin wickedly, "To harness Kyuubi's chakra at such a young age is truly impressive."

"**Orochimaru is extremely dangerous…be careful fighting this guy."**

"What are you doing in the chunin exams? And what did you do to Sasuke?" the jinchuuriki growled fiercely as a red cloak of chakra began to cover his body.

The pale sannin licked his lips, "Come and get me nine tails."

Answering his request, Naruto sped towards the man with inhuman speed. He sent a kick to the side of the man's head but it was caught.

He threw Naruto to the ground and laughed, "I don't have time to humiliate you jinchuuriki…so I'll make this nice and quick. "Sen'eijashu!" (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands)

Several snakes shot out of Orochimaru's sleeves towards Naruto. As they approached, Naruto countered, "Fūton: Daitoppa!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough) This sent the serpents flying back from a powerful gust. The wind was much more devastating with Kyuubi's added chakra.

The sannin cocked his head amused at the attack and laughed, "Two can play at that game kid, Kuchiyose no jutsu!" (Summoning Technique) A large puff of smoke covered the entire area.

Naruto was surprised to find three massive snakes in front of him afterwards. Orochimaru was standing on the head of the largest purple one. "I know you're strong nine tails…so I will give you something a little more appropriate to deal with."

The blonde dove out of the way as the large snakes reared back and tried to bite him. His red eyes studied the beasts quickly, '_I guess this calls for the heavy stuff_…'

"Yōton: Sekkaigyō no Jutsu!" (Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique) The jinchuuriki launched a massive glob of lava from his mouth covering the face of the nearest snake. It hissed and began to flail around in agony before collapsing on the ground.

The serpent disappeared in a puff of smoke immediately afterwards.

Orochimaru's eyes widened at the sight as an interested look spread across his face, "Impressive nine tails…I was unaware that the Uzumaki Bloodline was still around! They suffered such a tragic end."

The sannin opened his mouth wide and a sword came out of it. He spit it at incredible speed towards the boy. He narrowly evaded the weapon as it turned into snakes.

Jumping away from the smaller snakes, the blonde was caught off guard as Orochimaru's two giant snakes arched towards him. He barely dodged the two way bite as he landed on the head of one of the large serpents.

It thrashed against the trees and tried to buck him off but was unsuccessful. Thinking fast on how to restrain it, Naruto went through several hand seals, "Mokuton: Mokusatsu Shibari no Jutsu!" (Wood Release: Smothering Binding Technique)

The boy made sure to master this jutsu for a situation such as this.

His arms turned to wood as they began to curl and wrap around the massive snake. Naruto channeled a lot of chakra courtesy of Kyuubi and managed to completely restrain the beast. He then turned towards a horrified looking Orochimaru.

"Mokuton? That's not possible!" the sannin shouted in disbelief.

"Yōton: Yōkai no Jutsu!" (Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique) Due to the addition of Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto managed to launch a lot more lava.

The molten magma was devastating against the poor snake before it disappeared in a puff of smoke. Naruto was shocked to see that Orochimaru's body was a melting log.

He looked around worried for any sign of the sannin but could find none. After a minute of anticipation, the boy assumed the sannin was gone. His red chakra began to recede as his eyes turned back to their original deep blue.

'_Where the hell could that guy have gone?_' Naruto thought as he looked around one last time for the man.

"**He's gone kit…Orochimaru was toying with you. I suggest you get out of here before he comes back."**

'_Good idea…I hope Sasuke is okay!' _the jinchuuriki thought concerned as he rushed back to the clearing with his team mates.

After the blonde left, an expertly hidden Orochimaru licked his lips, '_That was unreal…I was unaware that the Kyuubi kid possessed such power. Not only does he know the Uzumaki bloodline, but he used the first Hokage's powers against me. I will definitely keep a close eye on him as well as Sasuke-hime._'

Just then an amusing thought crossed the sannin's mind, '_It's a shame he's a jinchuuriki…he would make an excellent body. I wonder what I should do about him?_'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Upon returning to the clearing, Naruto found Sasuke barely conscious sweating profusely. She was sitting against a large rock next to the stream. Sakura was sitting nearby with a worried look on her face. Both were relieved when they saw their blonde team mate enter the area.

"Naruto you're safe!" Sakura shouted in relief as she ran to hug the boy. He sped right past her without a glance to the sweating Sasuke. Naruto instantly knelt over the girl examined her condition.

This caused Sakura to cross her arms and pout.

Sasuke had a high fever and was sickly pale. Her eyelids twitched open and closed as she struggled to remain conscious. Naruto put an arm beneath her neck to cushion her head, "Sasuke, are you alright? What did that creep do to you?"

The Uchiha shivered as sweat trailed down her face. She was unable to respond to Naruto's answer but managed to point at her neck.

Naruto spotted two holes indicating a bite mark, however that wasn't all he saw. There were also three black tomoe near the bite mark on her neck. The boy carefully ran his fingers over it which caused a painful shriek to escape Sasuke's mouth.

Sakura walked over and eyed the mark curiously, "What's that?"

'_Any ideas Kyuubi_?' the jinchuuriki asked as he studied Sasuke's neck.

"**Looks like a seal."**

"Sasuke, can you stand?" Naruto asked the girl. Her vision became hazy as her eyes burned. Sasuke's gaze dropped to the ground and she began to sway her head. Naruto guessed she didn't hear what he said.

He reached his other hand towards the Uchiha and cupped her cheek focusing her gaze on him. The last thing the girl saw before falling unconscious again was a pair of concerned blue eyes.

Naruto picked the raven haired genin up bridal style as he looked over towards Sakura, "We need to find a place to lay low…we can't travel with Sasuke in this condition."

Sakura felt a tinge of jealousy from the whole situation but kept it to herself as the two genin searched for a place to go. After about an hour of searching, they came across a cave. It was fairly concealed under the canopy of the trees.

After setting up a safe area for Sasuke to rest, Naruto spoke up, "Watch Sasuke until I get back…I'm going to get firewood."

The pink haired girl nodded as Naruto left the small cave. When he got a considerable distance away he began to think, '_I could just make firewood…let me see if anybody is nearby first._'

As if jinxing himself, Naruto detected the presence of four genin landing behind him.

The boy curiously examined the enemies. They were all rain genin.

"Is he the one that killed your squad, Oboro?" The tallest scarred genin asked one of the others. The young man shook his head, "No…it was the Uchiha girl that did that. But he's one of her team mates."

Naruto crossed his arms as he looked over the four genin. The one that identified him was the surviving genin from Sasuke's wrath earlier. "I wondered where you ran off to. You made a mistake tracking us down again…" Naruto spoke up catching their attention.

The scarred leader growled, "We don't take kindly to arrogant Konoha kids like you!"

"I am giving you one chance…leave now and I won't finish what Sasuke started," Naruto threatened.

This caused the leader of the rain nin to laugh.

"You got some gall kid! It's four on one! You stand no chance!" He yelled. His team mates all got into fighting stances eyeing Naruto carefully.

"Shigure…wait! Maybe we should just get out of here. This guy is a lot stronger than he appears to be," Oboro said nervously.

"**Are you going to kill them or not? I am getting tired of watching them talk…"**

'_I'd rather not kill them if I can avoid it. I'm going to use your chakra to scare them away.'_

"**Hahahaha, suit yourself pacifist…and here I thought you were turning into a badass."**

"Your friend is right…I am **A lot stronger than I appear to be!" **Naruto said the second half in a demonic voice as red chakra began to leak from his body.

The four rain nin traded disbelieving glances as Naruto's eyes turned blood red with slits down the middle. "By the gods! We have to get the hell out of here!" Oboro shouted as he took off at high speed leaving the rest of the Rain genin. The others took off in a different direction.

"**Chase the group…they probably have a scroll."**

The blonde let Oboro go as he began to pursue Shigure and his squad.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The rain genin put up a good chase, but after several minutes, Naruto jumped in front of them and started smiling, "Give me your scroll and I won't kill you!"

Shigure shook nervously as Naruto pounced on top of him and stared into his eyes. After two seconds of staring at the demonic red eyes, the genin spoke up, "Take them both! I didn't sign up to fight a god damned monster!"

The glowing jinchuuriki got off the genin as he pulled out a Heaven and an Earth scroll. Naruto took the Heaven scroll from him and left without another word. The rain nin were surprised to see they still had their Earth Scroll. After the boy left, the three rain nin traded looks of relief.

"Shigure, what the fuck was that?" one of the boys asked their leader. The scar faced Shigure shook his head, "At least we still have our Earth Scroll…let's get out of here before this day gets any worse."

"How could this situation get any worse?" the other team member asked.

Dooming his team with irony, three figures land in front of him. Shigure examined them and spoke up worried, "It's the Suna team…"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Is it her? Is she that damn Uchiha bitch?" a sound genin asked as she examined a fever stricken Sasuke lying at the entrance of a cave next to a small campfire.

"Yes, Kin, that looks like her. Orochimaru-sama, wants her dead!" their leader nodded. He was covered in bandages and wore an unusual outfit.

The third member of the sound team shook his head and laughed, "Wow, Barbie Ninja and an unconscious chick…this is going to be the easiest mission ever."

"Shut up, Zaku…let's just get this done," their leader sighed.

"Hey Dosu, where is the third member of this squad? The blonde boy?" Kin asked curiously as she looked around the area.

"Good question…keep an eye out for him, Kin," Dosu ordered.

The three sound genin jumped down and spotted a weary looking Sakura sitting at the cave entrance. She immediately jumped to her feet worried when she spotted the arrival of the sound trio.

"Hey baby, it's pretty dangerous to be in these woods all by yourself," Zaku laughed. Kin chuckled as she looked Sakura up and down, "Get a load of her hair…hahaha!"

"What do you three want?" Sakura demanded as she got into a fighting stance.

Kin shook her head and laughed, "Look at her, Zaku! Hahaha she actually thinks she can fight?"

"Stand aside Dollface, we're here for Sasuke!" Dosu spoke up as he took a step closer.

Sakura shook her head, "What do you want with her? She doesn't even have our scroll…Naruto does!"

Dosu sighed, "We don't give a shit about the scrolls…we're here to kill Sasuke by order of Orochimaru-sama!"

The name struck Sakura by surprise. "You'll have to go through me if you want to kill my team mate!"

"Oh with pleasure baby!" Zaku shouted as he held up his hands and fired a large blast of wind at Sakura. Her back slammed against a nearby tree causing her to shriek in pain.

The sound team looked amused by her pain. (some of you might find it amusing too)

Wasting no time, Kin grabbed Sakura by her hair and dragged her over towards the group. "They let somebody like you become a ninja? That's just disgusting…you probably care more about your hair than you do about becoming strong. People like you are the reason why kunoichis are looked down upon!"

The dark haired sound nin looked angry as she held Sakura up by her hair. Zaku laughed at her, "C'mon Barbie girl, let's see what you got!" He delivered a powerful kick towards Sakura's face knocking her out of Kin's grip. The two proceeded to stomping on her.

Dosu sighed as Zaku and Kin tortured Sakura and turned towards the unconscious Sasuke. He approached the Uchiha slowly, but before he could get there, he felt a powerful kick hit him in the face. The kick sent Dosu flying into his two team mates.

They all shuffled to their feet irritated to see a green clad boy with a bowl cut hairstyle. "You three will have to go through me if you intend on hurting the lovely Sakura-chan any further!"

Sakura felt relief as she spotted the boy from earlier, "Rock Lee? What are you doing here?"

Lee jumped in front of the girl and spoke sincerely, "I am here to protect you Sakura-chan! You three stand no chance against me, the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha!"

Dosu looked annoyed at the sight, "Fuck…if you two hadn't wasted time with her then Sasuke would have been dead already!"

"I cannot allow you to kill Sasuke-chan either! She is my eternal rival, but also a fellow Leaf Shinobi!" Lee shouted.

Zaku held his hands up and fired a blast of wind at the boy. It didn't hit much to his surprise, and soon he felt a strong knee hit him in the gut before a spinning kick tripped him.

Dosu took the opportunity to charge at Lee with his fist raised, but met with a counterattack as Lee kicked him high into the air. The bandaged boy looked around worried until Lee appeared behind him. The green clad genin wrapped Dosu in more bandages before sending the two spiraling towards the ground.

Unfortunately for Lee, Zaku fired another blast of wind and smashed both of them against a tree before they hit the ground. Lee was on the outside and took the blunt force of the impact allowing Dosu to slip out of the bandages.

Kin was brutally beating Sakura during this time. However, before she could land a fatal blow to the girl, Lee managed to rush over and kicked Kin in the stomach. The sound girl was launched back towards her team mates. "This is annoying me…" Dosu sighed.

Lee charged the three sound nin once more until Dosu tapped his gauntlet sending a vibrating wave at Lee. The green clad genin grabbed his ears painfully and was left wide open from another blast of Zaku's wind. He smashed against a tree and fell to the ground.

Sakura looked worried as the three sound genin walked closer towards her. However, they all soon backed away with worried faces confusing Sakura. Her confusion was answered the moment she saw a purple glowing Sasuke standing right next to her.

Sasuke looked pissed, "Where is Naruto, Sakura? What the hell is going on here?"

The Uchiha examined the brutally beaten Sakura and a nearby injured Lee before looking towards the Sound trio. The purple chakra began to glow more luminously as black markings spread across her face.

"Where the fuck is Naruto?" Sasuke yelled looking between Sakura and the enemy genin.

"You're going to die Sasuke!" Zaku shouted as he held up his arms blowing wind at the girl. Before he knew what had happened, the girl was gripping both of his arms behind his back.

"It's time for you to die…but I want you to suffer first," Sasuke said darkly as she began to tug at Zaku's arms causing him to scream in agony.

Just then, a certain blonde haired boy arrived at the scene. Naruto looked worried at the devastation and placed an hand on Sasuke's arm preventing her from further torturing Zaku.

He spoke urgently, "Sasuke, are you okay? You're glowing purple!"

She released her grip on Zaku who took the opportunity to follow his fleeing team mates. The girl looked at Naruto angrily as she smacked his arm away, "Don't fucking touch me!"

Naruto watched the sound team escape and sighed as he looked over towards a beaten Sakura and Lee, "What happened, Sasuke?"

"Where the fuck were you at? You left me here with no protection!" Sasuke shouted at Naruto as she turned to punch him. He wasn't expecting it and received a powerful hit to the face sending him to the ground.

He wiped blood from his mouth as he stood back up, "Sasuke, you need to calm down before that seal on your neck consumes you!"

The boy stood up just in time to dodge a swift kick from his team mate. The girl activated her Sharingan, "You have some nerve trying to tell me what to do, Uzumaki! Where the fuck did you go? Answer me!"

She began to flash through hand seals. However, before she could finish her sequence, Naruto pinned her to the ground with her arms over her head. Sasuke struggled violently against the boy, but was unable to push him off.

"Just relax, Sasuke…I don't want to fight you," Naruto said calmly. After a moment of writhing in anger, she calmed down. The black markings began to recede and so did the ominous purple chakra. The two remained still like this for a moment staring at each other.

Sasuke soon realized the position they were in and looked away with a blush, "Get off me Uzumaki…"

Naruto just then realized he was straddling the girl and got off of her with a blush of his own.

The Sharingan wielder shyly looked away as Naruto began to stare at her unusually. "Stop staring at me!"

He shook his head, "I wasn't staring at you…it's just I was wondering why you're okay all of a sudden. You had a high fever earlier and now you seem okay. I'm just concerned about that seal."

"Your concerns do not bother me…" The girl turned her back to him and blushed at the thought of him worrying over her.

"I was concerned about you and Sakura. I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you two out. I got sidetracked by a bunch of rain nin. I did happen to get a Heaven scroll though," Naruto explained.

"Big fucking deal…you care more about this exam than you do about m-" The raven haired girl caught the last word just in time. She almost let her secret slip to the boy.

He was hanging on her last word, "I care more about this exam than what?"

"Than making sure that your team is safe," Sasuke tried to salvage the situation.

"You're safe now, Sasuke…I'm sorry I left you and Sakura alone," Naruto apologized. The Sharingan wielder shrugged, "Whatever…let's just go to the fucking tower."

Sakura who had been looking over the now recovering Lee, walked over to her teammates, "What are you two talking about way over here?"

"None of your damn business…" Sasuke muttered.

Naruto sighed and shook his head, "Are you okay Sakura? You look pretty beat up." Sasuke felt a surge of jealousy at seeing the pink haired girl embrace Naruto, but looked away and pretended not to notice.

"It was terrible, Naruto-kun, I was so scared. They were all just beating me up!" Sakura almost sobbed as she hugged the blonde tightly.

Rock Lee approached team seven and sighed, "Naruto-kun, it is good to see you again. I have a request for you though…if you are going to date the lovely Sakura-chan, you must protect her better!"

"**HAHAHAHAHA!"**

"Thanks for helping my team mates Lee…although I am curious why are you out here by yourself?" Naruto asked.

"I was merely scouting a trail from a clearing with two dead rain genin were at. I am thankful that I arrived in time to save the lovely Sakura-chan's life. You should protect her better, Naruto-kun!"

"I'm tired of this crap…can we go now?" Sasuke asked impatiently.

Naruto sighed at her attitude and nodded, "We're going…anyways thanks again Lee. Good luck in the exam."

"Farewell!" Lee shouted as he headed out in a different direction.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well there's chapter six for you people. 

Why do I make the chapters so damn long? I don't know…I just can't stand short chapters for some reason.

Some people say short chapters are more efficient at getting reviews and keeping you on a good pace…but whatever. I could care less about how many reviews I get.

Anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Chunin Exams Part Two**

Team Seven was a short distance from the tower and decided to walk the rest of the way. They spent several hours but finally arrived the massive building in the center of the forest.

Upon reaching the entrance to tower the three genin walked inside casually. Naruto immediately held up both scrolls and was greeted with the shocked faces of several jounin. "Wow…you three might have broken the record on getting here," One man said impressed.

"It would have been even faster if a certain someone wasn't dead weight," Sasuke muttered under her breath.

Naruto was the only person who managed to catch it. He couldn't help but agree with the statement.

The man now identified as a jounin spoke up, "Open both your Heaven and your Earth scroll now and you three can go spend the next five nights in the tower."

The blonde boy did as commanded and opened both scrolls. He was rather surprised to see Iruka appear when he opened both. "Congratulations on getting here in record time…" The man just then noticed which team he was speaking to.

"You three got here fast. Wow…" Iruka stated in disbelief.

"Ah c'mon Iruka-sensei, we couldn't have done it without your expert advice from school!" Naruto laughed. The chunin was rather surprised by the situation but smiled nonetheless, "Well, good work Team Seven. Enjoy your stay at the tower."

The three genin heard footsteps behind them and soon spotted Gaara and his siblings entering the tower as well. They were rather surprised to see Team seven there.

"Naruto Uzumaki…so you and your team are as good as that grey haired guy said," Kankuro spoke up as he looked over the roughed up appearance of the three genin.

"How did you three get here before us?" Temari shouted in disbelief.

"Easy…we were faster," Naruto stated the obvious causing the girl to become flustered.

"Listen here hotshot, that's strike two…I am sick of your smart ass comments!" Temari huffed.

Sasuke leered at the girl venomously, "Take a walk pigtails…unless you want to step outside and meet with an unfortunate 'accident'"

This caused the Suna girl to become even angrier. Before she could make a come back, Gaara cut in, "Ignore them Temari…you'll have your chance soon enough."

She instantly shut her mouth and looked worried. "We're outta here," Naruto said to his team as they began to walk away. Kankuro shook his head as team seven passed around the corner, "Wow…I hate that guy,"

"You and me both…" Temari sighed.

Gaara remained completely emotionless as he dropped his scrolls in front of the jounin in the room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next five days were extremely dragged out and boring. Naruto found himself randomly wandering every odd place in the tower to pass the time. Ever since they arrived at the tower, he hadn't spoken much to his team. Sakura had been resting in one of the provided rooms recovering from her bruises while Sasuke had been gone

Naruto tried on several different occasions to find the girl, but she was being detained because of her cursed mark. The blonde figured they were probably piecing together the Orochimaru encounter. He was unsure what to think of it.

He was worried about his teammate…a lot more than he cared to admit. For some reason, Naruto felt an overwhelming surge of anger towards Orochimaru for hurting Sasuke. As his mind settled on the raven beauty, he began to think about her.

He sighed as he wandered a distant hallway on one of the higher floors in the tower. '_I wonder if Sasuke really likes me or not…I just can't tell. I mean lately she has just been acting so weird around me. Am I imagining things or did she really try to protect me back in that classroom?_'

The boy directed his thought to nobody in particular, but of course Kyuubi decided to answer it, **"Stop getting worked up over some girl. She's going to be in your head more than I am if you don't get over your little crush on her."**

'_What makes you think I have a crush on, Sasuke? She's just my teammate…' _Naruto shot back defensively.

"**Oh really? From the way it looks to me…you've been thinking a little too much about this so called 'teammate'" **

Naruto was a bit conflicted by the bijou's statement, _'It's nothing like that! You're just seeing things, Kyuubi!_'

"**I'll believe that when you stop daydreaming about your little straddling encounter…" **

This completely caught Naruto off guard and caused him to blush, '_I…I wasn't daydreaming about that!_'

"**Not enough proof? Alright…then tell me why you care more about her than the banshee bitch?"**

Naruto hated to admit it, but Kyuubi was right in this regard. He cared a lot more about Sasuke's approval, opinions, and overall well being more than he did for about Sakura's.

Just then something clicked in his head…ever since his kiss with Sasuke he lost almost all of his infatuation with Sakura. It was subtle at first, but Naruto couldn't deny the fact any longer that he really didn't have feelings for Sakura.

'_I guess you're right, but how am I going to tell Sakura how I feel…even worse, how am I going to tell Sasuke?_' The boy thought frantically.

"**Don't even tell me you don't know…"**

'_Know what? Does she like me or not?'_

**You're so stupid…whatever, I'll just let you work that mess out on your own.**

"Hey Naruto-kun!" running around the corner towards Naruto was none other Sakura herself. The blonde sighed as she approached him. '_Maybe I should end this with her. I mean I don't see this going anywhere like I thought it would._'

"**Please do! I am getting fed up with that ridiculous girl following you around like a sick puppy."**

Sakura ran up hugged him, "Naruto-kun, where have you been? I have been searching all over the place for you…I was just thinking maybe we could spend some time together. You know since we're dating and all."

'_I don't know if I should do this…it seems wrong_,' Naruto sighed.

"**DO IT, KIT! I COMMAND YOU! DO IT NOW!"**

"I don't think that's a good idea…" Naruto said simply.

'_I am such a jerk for doing this_…' the boy thought to himself as he looked down shamefully.

Sakura looked confused, "Why wouldn't it be a good idea? I have barely gotten to spend any time with you since we started dating!"

"Sakura…I don't think it's a good idea for us to date," Naruto said softly as he looked her in the eye.

She looked horrified by his words and shook her head, "What are you saying? We both like each other! Why shouldn't we date?"

"**I have a million reasons why…"**

"Listen, Sakura, I am brea…" Naruto began but was cut off.

"NO! You CAN'T break up with me! Why the hell are you saying all of this? I thought you cared about me!" Sakura began to get emotional as tears fell. (Somehow I picture several of my reviewers laughing at this scene)

"I do care about you Sakura…as a friend. It's just I don't feel the same way about you as I used to," Naruto tried to calm the girl down. Unfortunately, that was the wrong thing to say.

"JUST FRIENDS! You jerk! HOW DARE YOU! I'm the best thing that ever happened to you!" Sakura's tears began to pour heavily from her eyes as she glared at the boy.

He took a deep breath, "We've only been dating two weeks, Sakura…it's just not working between us."

"That's because you don't ever want to spend time with me or anybody! You're just some weird jerk who always wants to be by himself and only cares about himself!"

Naruto shook his head at her comment, "That's not true. You don't know anything about me."

"That's because you don't let anybody in! I thought you liked me…I even started to like you back, but you don't want me getting anywhere close to you or your secrets! You're just a coward!" Sakura yelled as she tried to slap him. He easily caught her hand and threw her arm down.

He sighed, "You can't handle my secrets…nobody can. We just don't mix, Sakura…I'm sorry but it's the truth." Naruto felt terrible for doing this to her, but knew it had to be done.

"Oh but I'm sure that emo slut, Sasuke can! You sure don't have a problem talking to her behind my back! You're leaving me for her aren't you!" Sakura demanded as she became irrationally hysterical.

"I'm not leaving you for somebody else. I am leaving you because I just don't feel the same way I used to about you, and because I don't want you getting hurt later on when you realize that I'm not the person you think I am," Naruto answered somewhat honestly.

"How dare you! You're a liar! I see the way you two look at each other! Well fuck both of you! You're both miserable freaks and you belong together!" Sakura shouted at him.

Naruto began to walk away, "I'm sorry Sakura…"

"**Is something wrong with this psychopath? She's been dating you for two weeks and seems devastated that you are leaving her for somebody better?"**

Sakura chased after him began to hug him from behind preventing him from moving forward. "Please, Naruto, don't do this to me!"

"**For fuck's sake she needs to take a hint and get lost!"**

He turned his head around and sighed, "I can't fake affection or love, Sakura…I had a crush on you at one time, but now it is gone. It was simple infatuation…nothing more. I'm sorry I let all of this drag out and I'm sorry for hurting you like this…but it would be unfair of me to lie to you about the way I truly feel."

"You always lie! And not just to me, but to everybody! You're lying right now and you know it, Naruto!" Sakura was crying heavily as she squeezed harder into his back.

The boy shrugged, "This is why we can't date…you'll never understand me."

"I hate you!" Sakura screamed as she suddenly let go began to run away. He sighed deeply and began to feel a wave a depression hit him.

'_Why did I just break up with my girlfriend for no reason? I am alone enough as it is…and now I just created a bigger gap in my team._'

"**You did the right thing…that bitch is more trouble than she's worth. Not to mention, she is way too nosy. She has some nerve trying to accuse you of all those things."**

'_She is right though…what the hell is wrong with me? Ever since I started listening to you I've turned into somebody completely different. I look down on other people…I lie…I always want to be alone...I kill…'_

"**What makes that so wrong? You are a jinchuuriki…you must be this way if you are to survive." **

'_But I-'_

"**Don't interrupt me kit! I am shaping you to become strong for the day that Konoha betrays you. Don't disregard what I am telling you. I've seen this before, and I want you to be ready for it."**

'_What do you mean you've seen it before? And what makes you so sure that Konoha is going to betray me?' _The boy was confused by the fox's words.

Kyuubi huffed in irritation, **"Forget it…I've already said too much."**

'_Seriously, Kyuubi, I want to know what you are trying to tell me. I just don't understand_.'

"**One day you will…it is not something I care to explain. You wouldn't understand even if I did."**

Naruto was drawn from his thoughts as he bumped into a certain person.

He apologized without looking up as he continued walking. The person looked at him and spoke, "Naruto, are you alright?"

The boy turned around and met the eye of his concerned jounin instructor, Kakashi. He nodded his head, "I'm fine, Kakashi-sensei…I was just going for a walk is all."

"Well, I came to find you…the next part of the chunin exams starts in an hour. Come with me, Naruto," Kakashi requested.

The boy followed the copy nin, "Lead the way Kakashi-sensei."

As the two walked towards their destination, Kakashi looked back at the boy and sighed, "Naruto…you look like you have something on your mind. Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"It's just team drama…" Naruto sighed. He received a nod from Kakashi, "That is unfortunate…I don't know what you did, but both of those girls are extremely temperamental when it comes to you."

"Tell me about it…" Naruto sighed.

"I saw Sakura crying…did something happen between you two?" Kakashi asked curiously. Naruto's mask came back up as he apathetically nodded his head, "I broke up with her."

This caused the jounin's visible eye to widen in surprise, "Really? Why is that?"

"It's way too complicated to explain…" the boy answered.

Kakashi nodded his head, "I've been in love triangles, Naruto…I understand what kind of tension that puts on your team. Just remember one thing though…you still have to deal with them every day, so be careful."

"Love triangle? What makes you think I'm in a love triangle?" the boy asked defensively.

The jounin sighed as he shook his head, "I see the way you and Sasuke interact in the mornings…I also see the drama that goes on between you three. It is blatantly obvious."

"So we have to wait around for three hours just so you can observe our team interactions?" The boy asked incredulously.

"Pretty much. I'm guessing you broke up with Sakura because you like Sasuke…am I right?" the jounin eyed Naruto awaiting an answer.

'_That's not the only reason why. I just can't risk Sakura finding out about who I really am_…_what I really am. She is not one to keep a secret…_'

Naruto was unsure how to respond to the question, "Umm…well is it really that obvious?"

"It is to me…" Kakashi muttered.

"So does Sasuke like me at all though?" Naruto asked hopefully. The jounin shrugged at his question, "I have no idea…maybe you should ask her."

"I don't know…we kind of had a scrape back in the Forest of Death, did you see that mark on her neck?" Naruto changed the subject.

Kakashi nodded his head, "We managed to somewhat contain the cursed mark…although I find it a bit interesting that you and Sasuke encountered Orochimaru in there."

"What are you guys doing about it?" Naruto asked curiously.

"No need to concern yourself with that…Anko is investigating the matter as well as several Anbu teams. You focus on your exam Naruto. Do team seven proud."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Upon arriving at their destination, Naruto and Kakashi spotted all of the arrivals to the exam. Only seven teams had passed the Forest of Death. All of rookie nine, the sound trio, the sand siblings, Rock Lee's team, and Kabuto's team were there.

Naruto reluctantly lined up next to his team and noticed a puffy eyed Sakura and a completely apathetic Sasuke. He didn't bother making eye contact or greeting either one as they all stood around waiting to be addressed.

Walking into the room, was a jounin with a bandana. He centered himself in front of the seven teams and coughed before speaking, "Well it seems we have a bit of an issue here regarding the next part of the chunin exams. Apparently we have seven passing teams…that's twice as many as expected. You guys are going to have to fight in preliminary matches to cut it in half."

This caused everyone to perk up as they exchanged glares with each other. Almost everybody in the room was glaring at Team seven…particularly Naruto and Sasuke. The bandana jounin continued, "Since there are twenty-one of you…we have an uneven number. Somebody is going to have to sit out."

"I will," Kabuto was the first person to speak up.

He received odd looks from several people as to why. The jounin nodded his head and directed him to the door. "Why are you quitting?" Shikamaru asked curiously. The man just smiled before leaving, "I'm not really cut out for this stuff anyways, good luck you guys."

There were a few curious expressions regarding his reasoning, but everybody was instantly brought back to the exam as the jounin spoke up again, "Since there are twenty of you, there will be ten matches. We are now going to enter your names into the computer and will randomly select the match set up."

Everybody glared at each other anxiously awaiting further instructions. "Now feel free to stand on the sidelines by the railings if you wish to watch. I need all of you to clear this area while the computer randomly selects the first match."

Doing as they were told, all twenty genin grouped up with their teams next to their jounin instructors lined around the outside railings to the side. Naruto made sure to stand away from Sakura, which did not go unnoticed by Sasuke.

The Uchiha was a bit confused about what was going on at the moment. She remembered seeing Sakura enter the room with puffy eyes as if she had been crying. Sasuke was completely unsure of what to make of it, but a part of her deep down was hoping for the best.

'_If Naruto is avoiding her and she has been crying…did they have a fight? Oh please let it be true! Please let them be broken up_!' Sasuke couldn't help but smile as she glanced over at the depressed Sakura.

The pink haired girl sent the nastiest glare she could muster when she caught sight of Sasuke smiling at her. The Sharingan wielder enjoyed the look on Sakura's face, '_She looks so unhappy…I don't know why but this is so pleasurable seeing her suffer_!'

Sasuke felt a hand tap her shoulder all of a sudden. She turned around and saw Kakashi shaking his head. She caught the hint and decided to start ignoring the "heartbroken" Sakura.

'_She didn't even like him until Wave Country! I've always liked him! Serves her right for trying to fucking steal him from me! Hahahahaha_!' On the inside Sasuke was laughing, but on the outside she regained her stoic expression.

Naruto was staring off into space as Hayate began to state rules about the preliminary matches.

'_I can't wait to get out of here away from all of these people…I guess Sakura was right about that much. I do like to be alone_,' Naruto sighed.

The computer began to randomly cycle through names for the first match causing the room to eye it anxiously. The first side settled on Shikamaru Nara. He sighed upon seeing his name, "Great…how troublesome."

His opponent was Kin Tsuchi. She jumped down and eyed the boy amused as he casually strolled to the battlefield with his hands in his pockets. "Outstanding," he said in a monotone voice as he eyed Kin lazily.

"You're going to lose, pal!" Kin stated. He yawned at her statement, "Yeah whatever…"

"Let the first match begin…you will go until I decide if there is a clear cut winner," Hayate coughed.

They had a long boring match, but finally Shikamaru prevailed. His team cheered for him as he walked back up the stairs. The next few matches were relatively boring in Naruto's opinion. Chouji lost to Dosu, Zaku lost to Shino, and one of Kabuto's teammates lost to Kankuro.

The current match was between Sakura and Ino. Under normal circumstances, Naruto would cheer her on, but due to the events that occurred earlier that morning, he honestly did not care. He was lost in thought as he stared at the wall. After what seemed like forever, Naruto looked up and saw both girls knock each other out.

"**For fuck's sake how long have I been watching them do nothing? Is that fight finally over?" **

'_About damn time…I have never been so bored in my life. Woah what the hell!'_

Naruto felt Sasuke's hand brush against his. He didn't know why it was such a big deal, but he turned towards the Uchiha.

'_Finally he looks at me…with those blue eyes_.' Sasuke thought as she made eye contact with the blonde. They both awkwardly stared at each other for a moment without saying anything.

Naruto and Sasuke gazed at each other curiously. Despite what had happened in the Forest of Death, Sasuke had gotten over her anger against Naruto.

'_I never realized how great her skin looks…it must be so soft,_' Naruto thought. Sasuke's heart pounded in her chest as she began to feel overwhelmed by the look Naruto was giving her.

'_Now that Sakura is out of the way, nothing will come between us, Naruto!_' The raven haired girl thought.

Staring at them from across the room was Dosu and his jounin instructor who was secretly Orochimaru himself. The sannin licked his lips as he looked between Naruto and Sasuke, '_Do they…like each other? That will make this a lot easier! Wait a minute…he's an Uzumaki and Senju descendant, and she's the last Uchiha…oh that's just delicious!_'

Before Naruto or Sasuke could comment on their awkward staring moment, Kakashi spoke up, "Looks like Sakura is unconscious."

'_Who cares…_' Sasuke sighed as she turned her gaze back towards the two unconscious kunoichis.

'_They're both incredibly pathetic…I'll show Naruto what a real Kunoichi can do!' _Sasuke smiled.

"Since both girls are unconscious, neither one will continue to the next round," Hayate concluded. Kakashi looked a bit concerned, but soon went back to reading his book.

'_Well I know for a fact that Naruto and Sasuke are going to win their matches…guess I'll catch up on some Icha Icha Paradise._' The jounin thought.

Naruto stole a quick glance at his teammate before looking away, '_I need to impress, Sasuke with my match…guess I'll use something flashy like Rasengan. I have more than enough aces for the finals._'

"**I honestly feel bad for the person you fight…"**

'_I didn't know you had feelings…' _Naruto laughed at the demon. Kyuubi huffed at his comment, **"Feelings my tails…I just have a slight amount of pity for your opponent."**

"Next battle will be between Sasuke Uchiha and Yoroi Akadou," Hayate announced. This caused Naruto's attention to come back as he eyed his teammate. Sasuke had a casual look on her face as she landed in front of Hayate.

Kakashi looked up and put his book away, '_I hope her cursed seal doesn't act up…I would hate if I had to stop this fight_.'

The Sharingan wielder grimaced in pain as she grabbed her neck momentarily, but it soon passed.

From the other side, Kabuto's remaining team mate was standing across from the girl. He eyed her amused and laughed, "They put me against a rookie girl? Hahaha! This is my lucky day!"

"I'm not like those two civilians that just embarrassed themselves for the last half hour…unlike them I actually bring a good name to Kunoichis," Sasuke responded. Her insult caused several people to glare.

"She has got to be the biggest bitch I have ever seen…" Temari said to Kankuro. He nodded his head, "No kidding."

Gaara remained emotionless as he watched the Uchiha interested. Unlike his two siblings, he actually liked Sasuke to a certain degree and respected the fact that she wasn't weak and disliked anybody who was. Although the jinchuuriki was also very interested in Naruto as well.

He was eager to see what both of the notorious members from team seven could do. Ever since he heard about what they were capable of from Kabuto's cards, he knew it was true.

'_The way that blonde guy talked down to us…it wasn't arrogant, it was threatening. He is obviously no pushover_,' The jinchuuriki thought as he eyed Naruto with a blank stare.

Tenten leaned over to Neji and Lee, "Wow isn't Sasuke Uchiha the number one rookie this year?"

"Yosh! She is my eternal rival!" Lee announced. This caught odd glances from his teammates. Neji didn't bother saying anything. Tenten on the other hand did, "What is she capable of, Lee?"

"YES MY YOUTHFUL PUPIL, WHAT IS KAKASHI'S STUDENT CAPABLE OF?" Gai asked in his ridiculously loud voice.

Lee shook his head, "I don't know, Gai-sensei…but according to her ninja info card, she's as strong as a jounin!"

"I would expect no less from a student of my own eternal rival, Kakashi!" Gai said enthusiastically.

"That's bogus! Sasuke is barely out of the academy just like the rest of us! There's no way she's as strong as a jounin. That Kabuto guy's cards were wrong!" Kiba shouted.

Sasuke shook her head at all the feedback, '_This won't take long…but I don't want to reveal any of my trump cards with Naruto watching. I guess I'll just stick with fire and taijutsu._'

"Why do you look so smug girly?" Yoroi asked as he got into a fighting stance.

"Kick his ass, Sasuke!" Naruto cheered. Everybody in the room looked at him shocked because it was the first time he had spoken since he got there.

The Sharingan wielder turned towards her teammate curiously as he cheered, "Wipe the floor with that chump!"

His support actually caused Sasuke to smile. She nodded at the boy before turning back to her opponent. '_Naruto cheered for me?_' The thought made her stomach tingle with butterflies.

"Let the match begin," Hayate coughed.

Wasting no time, Yoroi instantly charged towards Sasuke full speed. Before he could reach the girl, he saw her disappear in a flash. This caused the man to look around confused, "Where the hell did she go? What kind of trick is this?"

"I'm up here…" Sasuke said casually. She was standing on top of the two hands of the statue in the room.

Yoroi was shocked, "How did you get up there so fast?"

Before he could even finish his sentence, he felt a hard kick knock him off his feet. Sasuke back flipped away from him as he recovered and flashed through several hand seals, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu)

Sasuke launched a massive amount of fire from her mouth at the man completely blanketing him. Orochimaru smiled at the sight, '_She must have a lot of chakra to produce a fireball that big. Oh even Itachi-kun would be proud to see this._'

Everybody in the room except for Naruto and Kakashi were wide-eyed by the brief raging inferno the girl created. After the jutsu subsided, Sasuke was surprised that Yoroi wasn't a fried crisp.

She raised a brow curiously, "You're still alive huh?"

Yoroi was huddled over with his body on fire. His body was glowing a light hue of blue from his chakra. Sasuke watched interested as the chakra receded along with the flames. The man noticed the Uchiha's confusion and laughed, "You seem confused girly! HA!"

"So…you can absorb chakra?" Sasuke asked as she thought out a new strategy. Yoroi confidently nodded, "Yes, I can! It'll take more than a little fire to beat me princess!"

Sasuke cracked her knuckles and laughed, "Suit yourself, bitch…I guess I'll embarrass you then if that's what you really want." This annoyed the man, but before he could make a come back, he saw Sasuke activate her Sharingan.

"The real fight starts now," she stated simply.

Before he could comprehend what was happening, Yoroi was being assailed viciously by the Uchiha girl. Her aggressive and quick taijutsu was dishing serious damage to the man as he wildly flailed around trying to retaliate.

"Her speed and fighting style is simply amazing…" Lee stated awestruck with a hint of jealousy.

Neji's eyes widened at the display as he watched the girl beat down Yoroi mercilessly. Even Gai found the girl's prowess to be impressive, '_Kakashi's student is remarkably fast…she might even be as fast as Lee_.'

Naruto enjoyed watching this fight, '_Sasuke is demolishing that guy hahaha! She will be my toughest opponent in the finals…_'

"**That will be an interesting fight."**

Shikamaru watched the fight intensely, '_Maybe those cards weren't lying…I knew Sasuke was strong, but this is a bit extreme for a rookie genin._'

Yoroi was sent flying into the wall courtesy of a high kick to the face from Sasuke. She slowly started walking towards the man with an strange look in her eye, '_I could kill him so easily…this is child's play. I guess I'll finish him with fire now that he's down_.'

Sasuke went through several hand seals catching worried glances from several people in the room, "Katon Karyuu Endan!" (Fire Dragon Flame Blast) A massive dragon of fire shot towards the beaten Yoroi. Unfortunately, before it could hit, Hayate neutralized the attack with a water jutsu.

Orochimaru frowned at the sight, '_Ah boo…and here I thought Sasuke was actually going to kill him_.'

Naruto sighed, '_What do you make of that?_'

"**He shouldn't have interrupted…what a pussy."**

The girl looked at him curiously as Hayate spoke up, "Sasuke Uchiha is the winner…"

Almost everybody in the room was completely blown away by the display. Temari and Kankuro traded disbelieving glances.

"I guess she isn't just a trash talker…" Temari said shocked.

"Why did you stop my attack?" Sasuke asked annoyed.

"There's no need to kill your fellow leaf ninjas when they are incapacitated. Not to mention, your jutsu almost went into the audience…" Hayate answered.

The girl shrugged, "Hmph…" She jumped back over to her team and stood next to Naruto. Sasuke was enjoying the shocked looks. Almost everybody in the room was staring at her.

Gaara was impressed by the girl's display and attitude, '_She would have killed him…interesting. Here I thought all of these people were spineless and weak._'

"Nice work, Sasuke!" Naruto congratulated her. The girl looked over at him and smiled. This caused a lot of curious thoughts to spread through the minds of the other genin.

Kiba nudged Hinata and pointed, "Hey look, Hinata…is Sasuke smiling at Naruto?"

The girl was staring at the two after hearing Kiba's whisper. She didn't like what she was seeing. '_No…not her too. That's not fair…'_

"Yosh! I shall defeat you in combat on the day of our glorious youthful battle!" Lee shouted pointing at Sasuke.

"YES MY STUDENT! THE FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHT!"

Neji face palmed at his sensei and sighed, '_Sasuke Uchiha is definitely very powerful…those ninja cards may be accurate. Although what about that blonde guy though? He's the dead last from this year's graduates…but that card said he was jounin level just like Sasuke…hmm._'

"Damn, she's definitely the cream of the crop this year," Tenten interrupted Neji from his thoughts. He nodded his head, "Indeed she is."

Shikamaru was staring intensely at Team seven, '_Sasuke wasn't even trying and she nearly killed a veteran genin…I knew she was strong but that's just insane._'

Hayate sighed as the computer began to cycle over the next two people to fight. Neji's name was the first to appear followed by Hinata's.

'_Hmm…Hinata-sama should be an easy fight,' _Neji thought as he jumped down. "Go Neji!" Tenten cheered.

Naruto watched as the two Hyuuga's entered the fighting zone standing across from each other. "Hmph…It seems fate is not in your favor Hinata-sama. You stand no chance against me."

The Hyuuga looked away shyly afraid to look Neji in the eye as he glared at her. "I can see the fear in your eyes. You know you're going to lose if you fight me. Just give up now before you get hurt," Neji said in a dreadful tone.

Hinata shook with fear as Neji stared angrily at her, "Fate has already predetermined that you will lose this fight! Just give up now!"

"Let the match begin," Hayate announced carelessly. He coughed as the two genin didn't move.

Naruto frowned at the sight, '_What the hell? If I was fighting him, I'd tell him to shove fate up his ass_.'

"You're going to lose Hinata…I am better than you in every way and I have no fear. You are trembling like the little spoiled girl that you are. Fate has already chosen the outcome of this battle!" Neji continued talking down to his cousin.

"Don't listen to this asshole, Hinata! Quitting won't get you anywhere!" Naruto yelled at the Hyuuga. This caught some surprised glances from the audience and the two Hyuugas.

"Mind your own business. This does not concern you!" Neji yelled at Naruto.

Naruto crossed his arms, "Stop talking and actually fight already…your stupid fate speech is annoying the hell out of me."

Hinata managed to pull herself together upon hearing Naruto's comment, '_He's right…Naruto never quits, and neither will I_.'

Neji looked back and saw Hinata much more confident than she was. "You're really going to fight me?" he asked.

"I won't give up…that's not my ninja way," Hinata said confidently as she entered a battle stance.

Sasuke rolled her eyes at the scene, '_I swear…if I hear one more speech about not giving up or predetermined fate, I might just kill both of them._'

"**Aww boo! Look what you did, kit…now she won't give up and we'll have to watch another boring emotion filled fight!"**

Naruto remained silent as he watched the two Hyuugas staring across at each other. After a brief silence, Neji finally spoke up, "Very well…I'll show you how cold and unforgiving fate can be."

Neji and Hinata both charged each other and began to battle. After a brief flashy dodge fest, they finally stood across from each other with their Byakugans activated. The two Hyuugas moved with impressive speed as their hands clashed back and forth blocking and counterattacking.

Shortly after spotting an opening, Neji double punched Hinata to the ground. He had a careless look on his face as the girl began to cough up blood.

"Despite your so called ninja way, you have only caused harm to yourself and further proven my point. You will never be able to defeat me, Hinata-sama…that's fate," Neji said coldly.

Hinata managed to stand up shakily as she coughed up more blood, "With hard work and determination, a person can achieve anything…*cough* I won't give up!"

Naruto looked shocked by the girl's words, '_That's one of my sayings…why would Hinata be quoting me?_'

"**Who cares…I just want that pretty boy down there to end this boring fight."**

Hinata's words caused Neji to glare angrily at her, "Hard work and determination can't do everything like you think! Some people are born to be great, and others are just there. No amount of hard work will make a weak person such as yourself any stronger. Fate is what makes you weak and me strong."

Neji's statement actually made Naruto kind of angry, "You're wrong!" The blonde's outburst caused everybody in the room to look at him shocked.

He shook his head disgusted at Neji, "Fate is bullshit! Hard work can make anything happen."

"Aren't you the dead last from this year's graduating class? You wouldn't know anything about Fate and about being strong. You are just like Hinata…no matter how hard you work, you are always going to be the dead last," Neji's voice was cold and mechanical.

"Turn around you white eyed bitch…Naruto could annihilate you," Sasuke said casually.

"**KILL THIS FUCKER!"**

Naruto glared at the Hyuuga and shook his head, "That's pretty extreme coming from a guy who doesn't even know me…I look forward to proving you wrong in the finals!"

Asuma shook his head at the sight, '_Neji is in for one hell of surprise when that happens_.' Kiba laughed at Naruto's threat, "Shut up Uzumaki!"

"Your threats are hollow and unimpressive…I have nothing else to say to one such as you," Neji remarked before turning away.

"Neji-kun, you're so cool!" Tenten cheered for her teammate. Lee found himself torn between the situation. He respected Naruto for what he said about hard work, but he also respected his teammate.

Hinata got into another fighting stance, but this time she had an angry look on her face instead of a confident one. Neji raised a brow at her expression, "You seem angry, Hinata-sama…is the truth hitting a little too close?"

The girl didn't respond as she charged Neji again. The two began to trade a flurry of open fisted blows back and forth. Neji hit her tenketsu points with each hit and managed to block her chakra coils. Finally after a heavy exchange of arms, the boy double punched her to the ground once more.

This time Hinata did not get up. "Pathetic…"

"Winner, Neji Hyuuga," Hayate yawned.

"Hmph…not even worth my time," Neji stated as he went back to his team. "Neji-kun, you're so strong! You rule!" Tenten shouted.

"**Here I thought we already got rid of the banshee…here comes another one."**

Naruto felt bad for Hinata, but he was glad to see her sit up with the help of her teammates. They brought her back into the stands. Neji sent a disgusted look towards his cousin, '_I should have killed her…_'

Hayate coughed as he looked at the computer for the next pair to battle.

'_I hope I can go next…I'll show these bitches just how much of a dead last I really am_…' Naruto sighed.

Sasuke leaned against the railing and sighed, '_I can't wait for this stuff to be done…I want to have some alone time to talk with Naruto_.'

"The next battle will be between Temari and Tenten," Hayate announced upon seeing their names light up. The two girls jumped down.

After a brief battle, Temari easily defeated Tenten. Naruto didn't consider the fight very interesting seeing as how Temari's fan pretty much negated all of Tenten's abilities.

"**A weapon user…no taijutsu, no ninjutsu, not even a damn sword…she just throws weapons. HAHAHAHA!"**

"Pig tails is the victor," Naruto laughed. This caused Sasuke to smile.

The blonde Suna girl heard his comment and turned to face him, "I hope you're the one to face my brother so he can permanently shut you up!"

Naruto didn't bother responding as the girl returned to her siblings. "I think I'm going to start calling you pigtails…" Kankuro laughed.

"Do it and I'll kill you!" she threatened before turning back to glare at Naruto.

"When am I going to get to fight?" Kiba demanded.

Hayate sighed, "Right now…look at the screen."

Kiba saw his and Naruto's names on the screen. This caused him to burst into a wide grin, '_Finally I get to put that loser in his place! Then all the girls will think I'm cool_!'

Naruto jumped down and stood across from the dog boy with a casual look on his face. "You're going down Uzumaki! I've been looking forward to this for a long time!" Kiba shouted confidently.

"**I might start crying with laughter when he realizes you kicked his ass."**

Akamaru began to growl at a now laughing Naruto. "What's so funny dobe?" Kiba demanded.

"You'll find out…" Naruto answered him amused.

Kiba and Akamaru both began to growl, "I'm going to wipe that smug look off your face, loser!"

Several of Naruto's hate base fans began staring at the boy intently. Temari, Neji, and Shikamaru especially.

Asuma shook his head and smiled, "Kiba is screwed…" Only Shikamaru heard him though. He turned to his sensei, "What makes you say that?"

"Just watch…" he chuckled. Gaara actually had an interested look on his face as he eyed Naruto curiously. Temari noticed, '_Damn…if Gaara is worked up over this, then maybe he knows something we don't_.'

'_Let's see how good you really are you loudmouth_…' Neji thought. Kakashi didn't even bother closing his book, '_Kiba won't stand a chance_…'

"Let the match begin."

Kiba immediately ran toward Naruto and tried to punch him. The blonde didn't bother moving as the dog boy closed in. As Kiba's fist swung, Naruto caught his arm and kicked him in the elbow. This caused the genin to roar in agony as he fell to the ground.

"I thought you were going to kick my ass? C'mon Kiba, it's just the dobe," Naruto mocked.

"**Make him suffer…slowly!"**

The opening move caused everybody to stare at Naruto incredulously. He barely moved and already had Kiba on the ground. The dog boy jumped back up tried to kick him this time, but Naruto caught his leg and threw it up knocking Kiba on his ass.

"I'm going to kick your ass Uzumaki! Gatsuuga!" (Fang attack or something like that)

Kiba began to twirl in a whirlwind as he sped towards Naruto.

Said genin flashed through some quick hand seals, "Fūton: Daitoppa!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough) A massive surge of wind completely negated Kiba's attack blasting him against a wall. The wind continued blowing against him digging further into the boy's clothes and flesh cutting them up.

Kiba and Akamaru were both imbedded against the wall with slight bruises and a few cuts. The dog boy fell down and growled at Naruto, "You bitch! When the hell did you learn how to do a wind jutsu?"

Asuma smiled proudly at the sight.

Kurenai raised a brow shocked, _'Why are Kakashi's students abnormally powerful? Elemental chakra is very difficult to master at such a young age_.'

The Naruto hate base all stared shocked at the boy. Temari herself felt incredibly jealous that Naruto's wind jutsu made her fan look weak. Kankuro was still getting over the fact that Naruto hadn't even moved from his starting location.

"That guy was the dead last in the academy?" Tenten asked shocked. Lee nodded his head, "That's what I heard…but Kabuto's card said that Naruto-kun was jounin level."

'_There's no way that he's jounin level_!' Neji tried to convince himself. Shikamaru was intensely staring at the battle, '_Where in the world did Naruto learn how to do that?_'

Kiba stood up and shook his head, "So you weren't just full of shit after all? I guess Akamaru and I will take this seriously then." The dog boy threw a pill to his dog and swallowed one himself.

He then went through several hand seals, "Jūjin Bunshin!" (Beast Human Clone) This caused Akamaru to turn into a clone of Kiba. Plus with the added pills, both had a lot more chakra.

Naruto eyed them slightly interested, "Pretty cute…you taught your dog how to play dress up."

"Shikyaku no Jutsu!" (Four Legs Technique) Kiba and Akamaru both dropped to all fours and flared with chakra.

The blonde sighed at them, "Suiton: Suihachi!" (Water Release: Water Wave Palm) A surge of water launched from both of Naruto's hands towards each of the two combatants. Kiba and Akamaru narrowly dodged the powerful blasts of water.

They each ran opposite directions trying to flank Naruto from either side. The water continued following them in an arc as it began to flood the battlefield. Everybody present was astounded by the amount of water Naruto was creating.

Sasuke shook her head at the sight, '_I guess it's a good thing I learned lightning…he's really good at water jutsus_.'

Naruto channeled more chakra and began to focus causing the blasting water to become smaller and more compressed. He then twirled in a circled with both arms raised and left a huge gash covering every wall in the room before his attack subsided.

Kiba and Akamaru narrowly dodged the attack as they jumped into the air. They both landed across from him. "Where the fuck did you learn how to do all this shit!" Kiba shouted in disbelief.

Everybody in the room was equally astounded by it. "I'm just the dead last…right Kiba? What could I possibly do?" Naruto continued mocking the boy.

The dog boy began to regret his words as Naruto held both hands out to his side. He had each of them clenched open causing everyone to stare. Even Kakashi and Sasuke were extremely curious about what he was doing.

Suddenly, an orb chakra began to form in each of Naruto's hands. They rotated swiftly and began to glow a light blue. Kakashi's one visible eye widened, '_Rasengan!_'

"What the hell is that?" Kiba asked worried as Naruto channeled more chakra into his hands causing each of the spheres to become larger. He desperately tried to charge at Naruto, "Gatsuuga! (Fang attack I don't remember)

Both Kiba and Akamaru drilled through the air towards the jinchuuriki. Right as they got to him, Naruto jabbed both arms at his approaching foes hitting them both square in the chest.

Kiba and Akamaru both went flying. They span wildly until crashing against a far wall and falling over defeated. Akamaru returned to his original form unconscious. The dog genin grimaced in pain as he looked at a huge hole in his coat and a scar on his chest. He tried to stand up, but Naruto grabbed him by the throat before he could. The jinchuuriki then began to choke Kiba out, "Tap out, Kiba…unless you want to die."

The dog boy began to flail desperately until Naruto released his grip. He gasped for air and fell over choking.

"Winner, Naruto Uzumaki," Hayate stated. It took a few seconds, but finally Kiba managed to catch his breath. He painfully sat up and shook his head in disbelief, '_I just got my ass kicked by Naruto!_'

Kiba tried to get up, but was unable to as his chest began to hurt. Then all of a sudden he felt his arm slip over somebody's shoulder as he was picked up. He could hardly believe that Naruto just picked him up. Everybody looked shocked by the gesture as Naruto carried the genin back to his team and set him down against the wall.

There was dead silence as the blonde then walked over towards Team Gai. They eyed him curiously as he silently approached the older genin.

Upon getting there, Naruto turned towards Neji and began to glare, "That's what hard work can accomplish asshole!" Neji looked away as Naruto flipped him off.

The Hyuuga had no response as Naruto returned to his team. Sasuke was beside herself with jealousy at seeing Naruto's ability, '_What the hell was that? I didn't know Naruto could do that? Damn it…just when I think I'm on his level he does something new._'

"Naruto, when did you learn how to do Rasengan?" Kakashi asked. The entire room focused their gaze on the blonde intensely. "What the hell is Rasengan?" Tenten asked her sensei.

Gai looked shocked, "That's a technique created by the fourth Hokage. The only other person who knows how to do it is Jiraiya the sannin."

"YOSH! NARUTO-KUN IS MY OTHER ETERNAL RIVAL! I EAGERLY LOOK FORWARD TO FACING YOU IN ETERNAL YOUTHFUL COMBAT!" Lee shouted cheerfully at Naruto's victory.

'_Damn it…he must have learned that from Jiraiya! Fucking Naruto…that's not fair,_' The Uchiha was returning to her usual self as she began to stare enviously at her teammate.

"Kakashi's students are very powerful…" Kurenai remarked. The quiet Hinata nodded her head, "Naruto-kun, is strong…" Shino brought Kiba's dog back to him and sat next to the shamed genin. Kiba just shook his head in disbelief, "That can't be Naruto…it's impossible."

Shino sighed, "That's what you get for underestimating people."

Despite her inner turmoil on the matter, Hinata was somewhat convinced that Naruto just stood up for her when yelling at Neji. She blushed staring at him, '_Naruto-kun…you're such an inspiration. Because of your victory, I will get stronger._'

'_You are strong Naruto Uzumaki…too strong,_' Gaara thought as he eyed the large scar covering the four walls around the room.

"I hate that guy…he is proficient in wind and water jutsus?" Temari said annoyed.

"Are you in love sis?" Kankuro joked. This caught him a painful punch in the arm, "Shut up, Kankuro! That's not even funny."

Hayate sighed, "The final match will be between Gaara and Rock Lee."

The suna siblings eyed their brother nervously as he be disappeared in a swirl of sand. He then reappeared down on the battle area. Rock Lee enthusiastically eyed his opponent, "You are the greatest genin from Suna! It will be an honor to battle you!"

The green clad boy leapt down and held an arm up towards the apathetic Gaara. Naruto watched the two genin interested, '_At least this fight should be good._'

"**There's something about that red haired kid…I can't quite place it, he seems unusual."**

'_I want to know what your definition of unusual is?' _Naruto asked. The fox sighed at his request, **"Keep a close eye on him this fight…I've got the feeling that he is very powerful."**

The battle between Gaara and Rock Lee was truly an interesting fight for the spectators. Naruto and Sasuke both noted the impressiveness of Gaara's ultimate defense and both thought of strategies to counter it should he make it to the finals.

Sasuke found Rock Lee's speed to be impressive, but his ability to open gates was what impressed her the most. The genin put up a very good fight in his attempt to bring Gaara down, but ultimately, Lee put too much strain on his body.

'_He's pretty good, but a lot of his abilities are double edged…normally that would be enough, but against an opponent like Gaara, it seems to be inflicting more damage on himself_,' Naruto observed.

"**That kid's sand ability is very impressive…but it seems unusual. That isn't a natural ability…mortals can't just do that without thinking. Something must be behind his Ultimate Defense."**

Finally, after a long painful battle, Lee was finally defeated. However, he stood back up facing Gaara with an arm raised, causing the jinchuuriki to angrily try and kill him with sand. Thankfully, Hayate interrupted the attack and declared Gaara the winner.

Gaara was pissed by the gesture, but returned to his team nevertheless.

Finally, Hayate spoke up, "Well that concludes the preliminaries…the third part of the chunin exams will be hosted a month from now at the battle stadium. In the mean time, you can recover, train, and prepare."

Naruto was pissed by the announcement, "What? We just did three things back to back and now we have to wait a month? Why?"

Hayate sighed at his question, "The finals are usually considered a grand spectacle…the Daimyo and many others normally come to watch them so that they can see the rising stars for themselves."

"**That's not a bad thing kit…now you'll have a chance to scare all of those fuckers!"**

'_I guess that gives me another month to train…I will probably need it if I want to stop that Gaara guy.'_

Sasuke sighed, '_The finals…'_

"You guys are free to go home now…we will contact you a few days prior to the finals and instruct you further on what to do. For those of you not from Konoha, your rental hotels will remain free of charge for the duration of the chunin exams. Have a nice day everybody," Hayate finished. He then took his leave.

Kakashi looked at Naruto and Sasuke, "You two did a good job so far. Way to make me look good."

Naruto laughed at Kakashi's comment, "Well what are we going to do for the rest of the month then?"

"You two should continue training…you won't be required to meet each other in the mornings anymore. Feel free to train as you have been doing. If you guys need me, I'll be at my house or the Hokage's Tower. Take care," Kakashi waved at his two passing students before leaving.

Naruto immediately began to take his leave from the room. He didn't want to be around these people any longer. As he made it to the door however, the infamous Sand siblings blocked his way. Gaara eyed him emotionlessly while his two siblings glared.

"Umm…is there something you want to say?" Naruto asked as he crossed his arms. Gaara nodded his head, "I look forward to facing you in the finals, Naruto Uzumaki…"

Temari shook her head at the blonde, "You better watch your back from now on, dude…we'll be watching you!"

Suddenly interested by the stand off, Neji and Tenten both walked over. "There's no way you were the dead last from the academy…" Neji stated matter of fact.

"There's no way that I'm going to stick around to hear another speech about fate…" Naruto countered as he pushed past Kankuro and Gaara. After Naruto left, the sand siblings traded annoyed glances before leaving. The conscious members of Rookie nine began to gather around Neji and Tenten.

"Naruto couldn't even perform a basic bunshin a few months ago…" Shikamaru said disbelievingly.

Shino shook his head at the shadow user, "I am very surprised myself to see him perform such high end abilities."

Orochimaru shook his head at the sight and laughed, '_If they think that was impressive, they are going to cry when they see the Kyuubi kid's true power._'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After several hours, Naruto was finally back at his apartment. He sighed in relief but was surprised to find somebody waiting by his front door. Naruto examined the person closely and recognized it as Sasuke.

He walked up and shook his head confused, "Sasuke? What the hell are you doing here?"

"So this is where you live huh?" the Uchiha asked without looking at him. He nodded his head at her question, "Umm…yeah."

Sasuke finally turned her head towards the boy and bit her lip as the two began to stare. "Naruto…can I talk to you?"

He looked at her curiously, "What about?"

The Uchiha nervously looked down and sighed, "Oh…it's nothing. I was just wondering if we could be friends again. I came here to apologize about getting mad at you for that…umm…for that kiss and for our fight back in the Forest."

"There's no need to apologize, Sasuke…I would be more than happy to be friends. Maybe we could even hang out…" Naruto suggested.

The girl smiled at him, "I would like that…anyways, I should get home…"

"Take care, Sasuke," Naruto said smiling. Both of the genin were too nervous to bring up their awkward moment earlier and secretly hoped the other would make the first move.

Sasuke nodded her head and turned to walk away, until Naruto stepped in front of her with his arms outstretched. The motion caught Sasuke by surprise and before she knew it, the two of them were hugging one another.

Both genin blushed deeply after the awkwardly long hug. Finally, Sasuke pulled away and looked down, "Umm…see you around, Naruto."

"Later Sasu-chan," Naruto smiled shyly at the girl. She was glad her back was to him because the added honorific made Sasuke blush crimson.

Finally she left, leaving Naruto alone. He sighed as the girl left his sight and then walked into his apartment. '_Damn it…I am such a coward. That was my chance to tell her how I feel._'

"**Hahahaha! This is amusing! Why didn't you say anything kit?" **Kyuubi laughed.

'_I have no idea if she just wants to be friends or if she likes me. I didn't want to ruin our newly patched friendship by telling her how I feel.'_

"**Wow…I have no comment for that reasoning."**

'_Shut up Kyuubi! I have no way of knowing what kind of gesture that was. I mean Sasuke got angry at me when I kissed her a few weeks ago. There's no telling what she would do if I told her I liked her!'_

"**Yeah…well these things have a way of working themselves out. Get some sleep, kit…tomorrow we're going to train."**

'_What do you mean we?' _

"**You'll find out…"**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

On her walk home, Sasuke was immediately regretting her timid approach to the whole situation. '_Damn it…he was right there. I could have told him…why didn't I_?' The Uchiha was deeply shamed that she was unable to come out and tell Naruto how she felt.

She was uncertain of his true feelings for her and became irrational every time she got near him. '_I had it all worked out in my head too…I was going to ask him about what happened earlier and about how he felt…and then I was going to come clean. So much for that…_'

She sighed deeply as she felt a wave of depression hit her, '_Why can't I tell Naruto how I feel? Why does this have to be so complicated?_'

Her inner turmoil was causing her heart to beat faster as she remembered her kiss with Naruto. She licked her lips at the thought, '_I should have kissed him tonight…I'm so stupid!_'

Suddenly, Sasuke was drawn from her thoughts as she spotted a pink haired girl standing in front of the entrance to the Uchiha Compound.

Sasuke eyed the girl suspiciously as she walked up. Sakura immediately spotted her and began to grit her teeth angrily, "You! I hate you, Sasuke!"

The Uchiha was amused by Sakura's anger and crossed her arms, "What's wrong Barbie? Did Naruto break up with you?"

"It's all your fault! You're a damn whore! You stole my boyfriend!" Sakura shouted.

Sasuke shrugged, "I didn't steal him…he just got tired of your bullshit. Naruto and I are friends."

"You're just a psychopath slut! This is all your fault!" Sakura continued to shout.

The raven haired girl raised a brow, "Aw…is Barbie-chan jealous?"

Sakura tried to punch the girl but was unsuccessful as Sasuke easily caught her arm and punched her in the stomach.

She fell over in pain. "Get this through your thick skull…Naruto is mine! Get lost before I put you in the hospital!"

Sakura began to cry and shook her head, "How could you do this to me? I have feelings for him!"

Sasuke cracked her fist and sent a powerful hook into Sakura's face sending her back to the ground. "Get the fuck out of my sight! If I ever see you near Naruto again I'll kill you!"

Without another word, the Uchiha walked past the beaten Sakura into the Uchiha District.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Ha! Chapter seven for you folks. I hope you liked it.

Yeah well let's go over a few things in case you're curious. I didn't explain most of the fights because a lot of them are boring and pointless. I mainly stuck to everybody's reactions and thoughts to what was happening. Not to mention…I'm sure most of you already know half of those battles by heart.

I know a lot of you must be ecstatic that Naruto finally broke up with Sakura. Feel free to express your good or bad opinions on that scene.

Just when you thought Naruto and Sasuke were going to tell each other…they take a turn into the friend zone. How will that pan out in the finals? I'll let you speculate on that.

Anyways thanks for reading…*blows a kiss*


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Corruption**

The next day was one Naruto had been slightly anxious about. He had no idea what kind of training Kyuubi had in mind, and was not too pleased when he found out. Currently the blonde boy was balancing himself over a pond of water with one arm, whilst forming a Rasengan in the other.

Kyuubi said that he needed to perfect his chakra control if he ever wanted to fully harness the fox's powers. Naruto was sweating profusely as he balanced himself over the water and kept his Rasengan maintained. Currently he had been in this position for the past two minutes.

It took intense focus and he nearly lost it a few times when Kyuubi would randomly yell at him. **"Make it bigger! This is no longer challenging you!"**

Doing as commanded, the boy focused more chakra into his Rasengan causing it to grow in diameter until it was twice the size of a regular one. **"That's the best you can do? Make it bigger!"**

A brief moment of concentration later, his Rasengan grew in size. Naruto nearly lost his balance and began to sway slightly. He struggled as his arm began to shake from the added power. **"Switch arms now!"**

This next part was something that Naruto hated to do. Kyuubi had suggested the maneuver as a from of chakra mastery practice, but Naruto considered it torture. He was supposed to transfer the orb of chakra in his Rasengan hand to the hand holding him up and then land back on the water with the new open hand.

Naruto tried it again, for the twentieth time that day. As he transferred his Rasengan, it lost half of its size and Naruto fell face first into the pond. A large splash erupted as he jumped out of the water again soaking wet and frustrated.

He shook his head annoyed, '_I hate this shit, Kyuubi! Why do I need to know how to transfer my Rasengan?_'

"**Do you remember what your old sensei said? He told you that channeling elemental chakra into a Rasengan would take extreme focus. This is a little solution I developed to try and help you understand how it works."**

'_I am not training to become a damn acrobat! This is stupid! What'll you have me doing next…juggling?'_

"**Don't disrespect me you ungrateful kit! I am going out of my way to help you become stronger. The purpose of this exercise is to teach you two things. One, it will help you multitask when you create an elemental Rasengan, and two it will teach you how to control our massive chakra levels so you can use my tails."**

'_Alright fine…just calm down you crazy fox! I swear, sometimes I forget you are the nine-tails. I mean you seem so human at times…' _Naruto leaned against a nearby tree and caught his breath as he stared at the water.

"**Hahaha…I do not know whether to find that ironic or insulting."**

'_It's true though. How do you know so much about people…the Shinobi nations more specifically?'_

"**I had a feeling you would ask me this sooner or later. I am not making the mistake of telling you anything other than what is necessary. I have been around for a long time and I have seen many things."**

'_Seriously, Kyuubi, What are you exactly?' _

"**I am a lot of things…some you know well…others you could not even begin to understand. "**

Naruto did not like the way Kyuubi said that. He shook his head, '_When you go around talking like that, I start to wonder…just where the hell did you come from? I mean are you some kind of demon or spirit? I hear people refer to you as the demon fox, but there's got to be more to it than that. You say you aren't evil…so what is your purpose?'_

"**From your point of view, I suppose I am evil in a simple manner of speaking. However, you are not asking the right questions. What I was and what I am now are two separate things entirely."**

'_What the hell are you talking about? Can you put it in simple terms for me instead of speaking in riddles.'_

"**I am simply a hollow remnant of something greater…My body is shackled but my will remains free."**

'_You did not answer my question,' _Naruto replied annoyed.

"**Yes I did…you are just too ignorant to understand what I told you. Now repeat the exercise!"**

'_Whatever…' _Naruto began to repeat the exercise again. The blonde returned to his one handed position over the lake as he channeled another Rasengan. Naruto tried to make it as big as possible.

'_This big enough for you fox?_' the jinchuuriki asked annoyed.

"**No…it is pitiful. Switch arms now!"**

Naruto slowly began to focus the chakra in his hands and swiftly traded the orb of chakra into his other hand. It was successful much to his approval, but he was too distracted by his success to land properly and ended up falling into the pond again losing his Rasengan.

'_SHIT!_' Naruto was angry at his failure. He could hear Kyuubi laughing at him and shook his head annoyed, '_I need to get something to eat…there's only so much of this crap I can take_.'

"**Seriously kit, just relax…you won't be able to master chakra control if you are angry. Go and get something to eat and you can continue this later."**

'_Maybe I would not be angry if you actually shut up for once._' The blonde took a deep breath. Currently he was in Team Seven's training ground. Ever since he used Rasengan in the Chunin Exams he figured it was okay to publicly practice it.

Although Training Ground Seven did not have any of its usual visitors today besides Naruto. He guessed that Sakura was off moping somewhere while Sasuke just trained at home. He sighed at the thought of the Uchiha, '_I wonder what she is doing right now?_'

"**I have warned you about that girl on more than one occasion. She is more trouble than she is worth. Your obsession with her will be your undoing…Uchihas cannot be trusted."**

'_There you go again talking about shit I have no clue about. Explain to me how you even know the Uchiha Clan? You make false accusations against Sasuke and her clan…why?'_

"**So we're going to have this argument again are we? I refuse to answer your stupid question. How's about you answer a question for me instead. Go ahead and tell me kit, why do you pathetically desire companionship from the denizens of this village?"**

Naruto sighed at Kyuubi's question, '_I have every right to seek friendship and even love if I so choose. I am a person…I have feelings just like everybody else and I do not want to be an outcast._'

"**Try to understand my point of view, kit. You are no longer a person…your humanity is forever tainted with my presence. To them, you will always be a jinchuuriki first and a person second. That is why you cannot be normal and that is why you must become apathetic to the world."**

Naruto rolled his eyes at the fox's reasoning, _'You're just an angry, pessimistic demon who hates the world and everything in it! I can choose to be whatever I want to be. You are wrong, Kyuubi…I refuse to believe that.'_

"**Everything you know…everything you hold dear is a lie. You do not know these people like you think you do. Your so called precious people are not as empathetic as you may think. None of them truly understand you…none of them are truly honest to you."**

'_That's bullshit, Kyuubi…I know for a fact that Jiraiya-sensei and the old man Hokage care about me without question. They have always been there for me!_' Naruto replied.

"**Wow…this stupid emotional logic seems familiar. Okay kit…answer me this then. What do you fight for?"**

'_I fight so that I can be respected and loved by everybody. If I prove how strong I am, then the people of this village will start looking up to me and I can become Hokage one day. I also fight to protect those I care about.'_

"**Almost word for word…Hahahahaha!"**

'_It's the truth…I fight for love and protection!'_

**Wrong! You fight and work hard to become strong because of your own ambition. The strong rule the weak…and you are too proud to be controlled. That is the initial stage of narcissism and of a god-complex. In short…you are trying to proof that you're better than them.**

'_No, I fight for love and for respect! One day the people of this village will love and respect me! They will start seeing me as somebody important that they can look up to! You have no right to say those things to me!._'

"**Your denial is not surprising. Although I find your pride amusing. Demanding respect from weak-minded villagers only proves my point. Not to mention, your stupid little friendships and relationships are hollow and transient. How would your little Sasu-chan feel if she found out you are a jinchuuriki?"**

'_There are people who know the truth that care about me. Jiraiya-sensei, Asuma-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Yamato-sensei, and the old man Hokage! I know who I am…you cannot change me, Kyuubi! Don't you dare bring Sasuke into this!'_

"**You sound just like Mito Uzumaki…how incredibly ironic hahahahaha!"**

Naruto was confused by the mention of his ancestor, '_How the hell did you know Mito Uzumaki?_'

"**How's about you get over your little hissy fit first. Then I might consider telling you."**

'_Fuck off you stupid fox! I am so sick of your constant lectures about me and who I am! I know what I am! I am a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village and I do not give a damn about anything you have to say!_'

"**Ah, and now your true nature emerges…this is exactly what I am talking about. You are living a lie…you pretend to care about everybody in this village and even want to play the nice guy, but I know what you are…and deep down so do you. Your arrogance seeds your corruption. In time your brash pride will cause you to mock Konoha's self-righteous and pitiful ideals."**

He began to clench his fists which caused them to shake with anger. Red chakra began to leak from Naruto's body once more as his eyes turned red.

"**I see the bitter hatred locked away in your heart. I see the little six year old kit crying his heart out because the world despises him! You would show loyalty to these people after a lifetime of resentment? That is a sign of how much control they have over you."**

Just then Naruto saw an image of a saddened Jiraiya in his thoughts causing him to calm down. '_Yes, Kyuubi…Konoha is my future! No matter how hard I have to work, I will earn this village's respect! It is not their fault that I am this way…it is yours!'_

"**You speak boldly for something you know nothing of! It is not my fault that these people treat you like shit…it is your own damn fault for not putting them in their place! You let this happen because you refuse to believe that Konoha is guilty of anything."**

The blonde began to feel a wave of depression hit him as he sat down facing the pond. He was starting to get very angry, '_What the hell are you trying to say? This is not my fault!'_

Self-pity was written all over the blonde's face as he stared into the pond at his reflection. His eyes were crimson red with slits. He stared at himself loathingly, '_This isn't my fault…You are just trying to confuse me_!'

Naruto was shocked to see his own reflection turn into an image of Kyuubi. He looked away horrified at the sight as the fox began to speak again, **"It is regrettable that you refuse to see reason…although it is not really surprising. You will eventually come to terms with my words."**

The jinchuuriki sighed heavily as he repressed his chakra and reverted back to normal, '_I am tired of talking about this. Please just give me some quiet time._'

"**As you wish. We can talk later after you take some time to contemplate what I have said."**

Naruto felt sick at the moment. Never in his entire life had he felt as bad as he did right now. Flashes of his past streamed through his mind as he continued staring vacantly at the pond. Naruto could not decide what to do with the rest of the day. However, since his appetite had completely vanished, he eventually decided to continue training.

He tried to empty his mind as he focused solely on training.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Team ten was meeting at its usual spot today. Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji were all slightly disappointed about the results of the chunin exam preliminaries. Ino and Chouji were mad about losing, while Shikamaru on the other hand was mad about winning.

They all sat around in silence as they awaited the arrival of Asuma. "So Naruto defeated Kiba just like that?" Chouji asked incredulously.

Shikamaru nodded his head, "Yes…he performed a wind jutsu and then a powerful water jutsu, but his final attack was something I have never seen before. It was identified by Naruto's sensei as Rasengan. Another one of those jounin there also mentioned that the Rasengan was an ability only known by the Fourth hokage and by Jiraiya the sannin."

Ino shook her head annoyed, "Damn it…why did I have to miss that match?"

"Maybe you should have trained harder to beat Sakura," Shikamaru said matter of fact.

Chouji just shook his head in disbelief, "How in the world would Naruto know how to do something like that? I mean he does not seem like the genius time to figure it out on his own."

Shikamaru nodded his head, "That would mean he probably learned it from somebody. Although seeing as how Jiraiya is the only person alive who knows it, I am assuming Naruto learned it from him."

"That's preposterous! Why would a legendary sannin train somebody like Naruto?" Chouji asked. Shikamaru shrugged at the question, "Who knows…although is it just me or does Naruto seem like a completely different person since we graduated from the academy?"

Ino and Chouji traded looks and both nodded in unison. "I know right…Naruto was really quiet for most of the preliminaries, and when he did talk, he seemed condescending. That isn't like him at all," Chouji noted.

"What about that new outfit he is wearing? I mean he just goes around in his new sleeveless shirt acting like a tough guy…only difference is, he actually is a tough guy now. Maybe Jiraiya did train him," Ino agreed.

"That is the part that I do not understand. Even if somebody like Naruto could have gotten a sannin to train him, how on earth could he have learned all of those jutsus and become so different all in the course of a few months?" Shikamaru asked.

Much to his surprise, a gruff voice answered him, "Naruto has been under the tutelage of Jiraiya for the past four years. I have also trained with Naruto in the past year as well."

The trio of team ten turned around and met the amused face of their sensei. "Asuma-sensei? You trained Naruto?" Ino asked shocked.

He nodded his head, "Yep…I taught him all about wind chakra over the past year. That kid is really good at picking stuff up. Although considering how crazy his training is, I am not that surprised."

"What? Wait a minute…if Naruto has been trained for the past four years, then why was he such a failure at the academy?" Shikamaru was genuinely confused over the issue.

Asuma cocked his head, "That does not sound like him. That boy is a quick learner. Granted he is easily distracted if he isn't constantly doing something."

"None of this makes any sense…why would he be a complete moron then?" Chouji asked.

Asuma chuckled at his question, "Who says he is a moron? Sounds to me like you kids were played like fools. Naruto is a lot like a fox. He is very cunning and full of aces. I told you kids he was more than he appeared to be. I am rather surprised that you did not find out sooner."

"So you are telling us that Naruto just pretended to be an idiot for the past four years?" Ino shouted in disbelief.

The jounin nodded his head at the question. "Jiraiya gave him that idea originally…but later on he kept up the charade when I explained how we balanced the genin teams. Naruto took advantage of the system so that he could end up with the strongest team. I found it rather amusing to be honest."

"That's not fair though!" Ino shouted.

Asuma nodded, "It is a bit unfair, but by taking the initiative to do something like that just proves that Naruto is a clever kid and a good ninja."

Chouji face palmed, "It is so hard to picture him as clever…this all seems a bit unreal. I mean Naruto of all people in our class gets special training by the legendary Jiraiya?"

"Asuma-sensei, explain to me how in the hell did Naruto get a sannin to train him?" Shikamaru asked with a slight hint of jealousy.

Asuma shrugged, "Who knows…I never heard the full story. Maybe you three should ask Naruto himself. He is a really good guy once you get to know him."

"Oh, I intend to find out…this is going to bother me until I do," Shikamaru stated as his lazy tone changed to a more interested one. His teammates nodded in agreement.

The jounin laughed at his students and nodded, "Okay…well for your training today, I want you three to find Naruto and get to know him better."

They all eyed their teacher curiously. He smiled at them, "It is not as easy as it sounds. Naruto is hard to track. You three have fun, I have somewhere I need to be."

Ino laughed at her sensei, "Say hi to Kurenai-sensei for us!" The jounin disappeared in a puff of smoke before his students could identify his blush.

Shikamaru stared at the clouds and sighed, "This is going to be a troublesome day…I can tell already."

"Where should we start?" Chouji asked as he waved a hand in front of his friend's face. The shadow user shrugged, "I guess team seven's training ground would be a good place to start."

"C'mon guys let's go!" Ino said optimistically.

Chouji raised a brow at her attitude, "Somebody is rather excited about this I see…"

"I know you two are just as curious as I am. Let's go find Naruto and see what his whole deal is," Ino responded.

"Too much effort…*Sigh* Alright, let's go find that troublesome blonde loudmouth," the shadow user sighed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke was training in her Compound as usual today. Although oddly enough, she was in an unusually good mood. She spent a majority of the day so far working on chakra control. The Uchiha recently amplified her chakra training.

'_I need to get this nintaijutsu stuff down if I want to stand a chance against Naruto's abilities. And that stupid fucking Rasengan_…' Despite all the reasons she liked Naruto, there were also a lot of things that she disliked about him.

The boy was something that she just could not master. In her early life she had been raised to believe that anything could be mastered with training and discipline. However, that did not seem to be the case when it came to boys…or more specifically one boy.

Sasuke hated herself for falling into the trap that she hypocritically mocked others for being a part of. The girl couldn't quite explain it, nor would she ever dare to try. All she knew is that she loved and hated Naruto at the same time.

She hated the fact that he was better than her in some regard, but that was also one of the reasons she was so obsessed about him. No matter what she did, Naruto had some kind of ace to one up her. Half of her wanted to give in to the blonde's charms, but the other half wanted to humiliate him and destroy his pride.

'W_e may be friends now, but that will not change the fact that we are also rivals. Once I knock you off your pedestal, Naruto, you will know how I feel. I refuse to be overshadowed by you like I was by my own brother. Once I defeat you in the finals, you will fall at my feet and I will claim you as I deserve!_'

The girl's inner thoughts were extremely selfish and envious whenever they revolved around Naruto. The Uchiha would often day dream of Naruto dropping to his knees and admitting her superiority. Sasuke hated to admit it, but the thought was almost erotic at times.

Her mind began to wander at the thought of Naruto straddling her from the Forest of Death. She both hated and loved the way he made her feel so powerless. Sasuke stopped what she was doing as she daydreamed about how the event _Should_ have unfolded.

**(Daydream Starts!)**

Sasuke was pinned beneath Naruto in the Forest of Death. She was glowing from the ominous purple chakra of her cursed seal with black markings covering her body.

In the background, Sakura, Lee, were not there. The two genin were alone in the middle of the Forest. The Uchiha struggled against Naruto's grip as he stared into her Sharingan eyes. "Give up, Sasuke! You cannot defeat me."

She felt herself getting turned on by the aggressive dominating stare he was giving her. "Let go of me, Uzumaki!" Sasuke said in a fake angry way.

He smiled, "I want you to admit my superiority and maybe I will consider it."

"What if I say no? What are you going to do to me?" She couldn't help but smirk.

Naruto lowered his face towards hers and grinned, "Do you need convincing?" She nodded her head at his question, "It will take a lot of convincing before I give in to you!"

Before Naruto could respond to her question, she instantly raised her neck off the ground and began to kiss the blonde passionately. He was surprised at first, but instantly started kissing her back. Sasuke forced her tongue inside of his mouth and began to caress every corner.

The blonde boy's tongue then started wrestling with hers. The two were deadlocked as they each tried to dominate the kiss. Then all of a sudden, Sasuke felt Naruto's grip loosen. She instantly seized the opportunity to push him off of her and reverse their positions.

Naruto could barely believe it, but now he was pinned to the ground with Sasuke on top of him. Before he had time to react to the situation, Sasuke's tongue finally started overpowering his own. The blonde couldn't help but moan into the kiss and finally gave in to the Uchiha's dominant tongue.

The raven haired girl took great pride in defeating the blonde, but broke the kiss gasping for air. She smiled proudly at his embarrassed face, "Seems like you lose, Naruto. Now admit that I am better than you!"

He defiantly shook his head, "No!"

His statement caused her to smirk at him, "Just give in to me, Naruto. I know you like it when I am on top! Admit it…you enjoy being my bitch!"

The boy looked away and blushed. He was trying to find a comeback to the girl but finally he sighed in defeat, "I want more of this…of you, Sasuke-chan!"

She rewarded the boy with another dominating but passionate kiss.

**(Daydream is over!)**

The Uchiha was brought from her amazing day dream when she heard the sound of footsteps. (That was one twisted daydream…Sasuke likes the whips and chains I'll bet hahaha!)

Sasuke turned around and spotted Kakashi approaching her. He had a casual look in his eye as he waved at her, "Hey Sasuke, I just came by to see if you are feeling any better. That cursed seal isn't affecting your behavior at all is it?"

The girl shook her head, "Umm…no, I am actually in a rather good mood today."

Kakashi nodded his head, "Okay, well I also thought you might want this…" The jounin pulled out a sheath and handed it to the girl. She eyed it curiously before looking up, "You're giving me a sword?"

The masked man nodded, "Well, I no longer use it anymore, and I thought that you could probably use a weapon seeing as how Naruto has trench knives."

His reference to the blonde caused the girl to tense suddenly, "What makes you think I need a weapon though? Is there something special about Naruto's weapons?"

Kakashi sighed, "Listen…I know you two are both rivals and you are bound to face each other in the finals. I just wanted you to be on par…Naruto is a lot stronger than you think. He has more than just Rasengan up his sleeve."

Her sensei's words caused her to clench her fists jealously, "Tell me what can do! Tell me now sensei!"

"Relax, Sasuke…I was just letting you know that Naruto is going to be your toughest opponent in the finals. For the sake of fairness and confidentially I am not going to tell you what his aces are. I just want you two to be prepared. I would be pretty proud if both of you fought each other in the final match…either way team seven wins."

The Uchiha nodded as she started to understand his reasoning, "Alright then, so how in the world is a sword going to help me?"

The jounin drew his old anbu blade and smiled beneath his mask, "Let me show you." Lightning began to chirp around the edges of the sword until the blade was completely coated in an electrical glow.

Sasuke's eyes widened considerably at the sight, "Oh…I never thought about that before."

"Pull out a kunai and hold it above your head. I want you to see this," Kakashi replied.

Doing as commanded, the girl drew a kunai and help it up. With one swift cleave Kakashi sliced the blade of the weapon in half before sheathing the sword. The man then handed the weapon to Sasuke, "This is my old Anbu sword. I want you to have it."

Sasuke took the weapon and eyed it with amazement, '_Wow…it looks a lot like Itachi's…_' The stray thought about her brother began to broil around in her mind.

However, she remained unreadable on the outside as she looked up and smiled at her sensei, "Thanks for the gift, Kakashi-sensei."

He nodded his head, "Good luck in the finals, Sasuke…also if your cursed seal starts acting up just let me know. Anko told me that it can slowly alter your personality. Just be careful not to use that seal, Sasuke. You do not want that kind of power."

The girl nodded as Kakashi took his leave, "Of course, Kakashi-sensei, I will respect your wishes."

On the inside however, she was thinking differently, '_The cursed seal gives me so much power…I will use it if I must in order to defeat Naruto and later Itachi._'

After the jounin left, Sasuke drew the sword and began to stare at it, '_Itachi…_'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Team Gai was having a rather uneventful day as they relaxed around their training grounds. Neji was going through stances while Tenten practiced throwing weapons. Lee on the other hand was still recovering from his injuries against Gaara.

Thankfully, they were not as severe as they could have been. Lee was still in no condition to fight however, and just remained with his team for the sake of company. The members of Team Gai were all wrapped up in their own little worlds until the sound of footsteps caught their attention.

All three quit what they were doing and looked over towards the source spotting both Gai and Kakashi. The genin eyed the copy-nin curiously, as they looked back and forth between the concerned faces of the two jounin.

"So what you're telling me is that you had no idea?" Gai asked Kakashi with a genuinely seriously tone. The masked man sighed, "I didn't even know until Naruto told us after our first encounter with Zabuza."

Upon seeing the eyes of the three curious genin, both jounin instantly stopped talking. Gai smiled at his students and stuck his thumb up, "HOW GOES THE DAY MY ETERNAL, YOUTHFUL STUDENTS!"

Tenten cocked her head curiously, "What were you two just talking about, Gai-sensei?"

The green clad jounin chuckled at her question, "Nothing of concern my energetic and wonderfully curious girl! Kakashi and I were merely discussing the good old days of our youth!"

"I heard you say something about Naruto-kun…" Lee cut in with an interested tone in his voice. Neji remained silent but still eyed his sensei anxiously.

Kakashi sighed, "Maybe this is a bad time, Gai…swing by my house tonight and we'll discuss it later."

The burly jounin nodded his head, "Farewell, Kakashi! May we battle for eternal glory the next time we meet, my cool rival!"

The copy-nin disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving Team Gai alone. Gai awkwardly looked over his students as they stared intently at him.

"What did Kakashi-san, say Gai-sensei?" Lee asked energetically.

"I heard him mention something about Zabuza? My father speaks of that criminal…he is apparently wanted in ten different countries and is a former swordsman of the mist," Neji stated factually.

Tenten's eyes widened a bit at the mention, "Hey wait a minute…didn't those ninja cards say that team seven completed an A rank mission? That blonde boy also said that they went to Wave Country. Could they have fought Zabuza on that mission?"

Gai sighed at his students' logical analysis, "Well I guess since you three know that much, you might as well hear the whole story…but do not under any circumstances release this information to the general public or to any of your fellow shinobi."

The three genin curiously watched Gai as he formed a serious expression on his face. "According to Kakashi, he and his team encountered Zabuza the Demon of the Mist a while back on a mission in Wave Country. It was originally categorized as C rank, but went up to A rank when several missing nin became involved."

"That goes against direct village protocol…Kakashi was foolish to do that," Neji said seriously.

The jounin sighed at his student, "Well their mission was a success…that counts for something."

"Yosh! Team seven is truly blessed to have been a part of such a mission!" Lee added.

Tenten crossed her arms, "Gai-sensei, tell us more about the Rasengan that the blonde boy used."

Neji perked up interested at the suggestion which did not go unnoticed by his team.

Gai smiled at the Hyuuga and laughed, "Curious about him are you? I did not take you for the type Neji."

Neji looked away embarrassed, "I do not really care either way…I just wouldn't mind knowing more about my competition after witnessing what he did in the preliminaries."

"Naruto called you out…" Lee said enthusiastically to the Hyuuga boy. Neji shook his head irritated, "So what? I am still going to win the fight…he will be unable to use any chakra for his fancy jutsus once I hit his tenketsu points."

Gai shrugged, "Well you better be careful if you end up fighting him. Kakashi said that Naruto is full of surprises…so is Sasuke."

"I have a question sensei…if Naruto and Sasuke are both so powerful, then how did they end up on the same squad? I mean isn't that unbalanced?" Tenten asked curiously.

Lee answered her, "Naruto-kun was the dead last at the academy…but through hard work and determination he became strong!"

"Hard work will not mean anything once I have defeated him," Neji stated matter of fact.

Gai shrugged at the claim, '_You are in for the fight of your life if you face either one of Kakashi's students…_'

"You three continue training…I have something I need to go do," Gai said calmly before taking his leave.

Afterwards, Tenten sighed, "There's something really strange about that Naruto guy…I mean how could a dead last end up in the chunin exam finals?"

"I have wondered that myself…it is obvious that he is more than he appears to be," Neji admitted irritated.

Lee could not help but smile at his teammate, "Ah C'mon Neji-kun, it is okay to admit you're anxious to battle him."

"I am not anxious because I already know I will not lose to some drop out loser," Neji responded bitterly.

Tenten sighed as she eyed Neji's annoyed expression, '_He is obviously concerned about it…you can't hide anything from me, Neji-kun_.'

"Where does Naruto-kun live? I wish to converse with him!" Lee announced. Neji and Tenten exchanged curious glances before Lee continued, "C'mon guys…don't you want to find out more about him?"

"I don't know…not really," Tenten said dryly.

Neji scowled at Lee and looked away, "I have no time for frivolous things such as that…I have no desire to be that dropout's friend."

"That's a bit harsh, Neji-kun…I mean he did not seem like a bad guy," Tenten cut in.

The Hyuuga turned his focus back towards the brunette girl and shook his head, "Weren't you the one who said you were not really interested in going?"

"Well yes and no…Lee's got a point. You need to figure out what that guy is capable of if you intend on beating him in the finals," The girl explained.

Finally Neji sighed in defeat, "Okay fine…we will go locate his home and try to find out more about him."

"We should head for the Hokage Tower first to pick up his residential account," Lee said excitedly.

"Let's go!" Tenten shared in his excitement. Neji on the other hand began to regret his choice as he followed his teammates to the Hokage tower.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Team ten crossed the bridge officially entering team seven's training ground. The three genin covertly looked around for any sign of team seven, but much to their surprise, they found none.

Shikamaru shook his head and sighed, "Of course he isn't here…how troublesome."

Upon finishing his sentence, the shadow user heard a strange sound not too far away.

"Do you hear that guys?" Ino asked as faced the direction of the sound. The two genin nodded. Chouji spoke up, "Let's go check it out."

Without another word, the three members of team ten approached the location of the noise and peeked through a bush. They were rather surprised to see a shirtless Naruto doing pushups on top of the water in a pond. The blonde had an empty look on his sweat covered face as he relentlessly kept going.

Team ten traded shocked expressions before turning back to continue watching. They watched in amazement as Naruto balanced his body on one hand upside down and started to channel a Rasengan. Although that wasn't the main thing that piqued their interest.

Team ten couldn't help but stare at the seal on Naruto's stomach. Although none of them knew what it was. "What the hell is that?" Chouji whispered quietly.

Shikamaru eyed it peculiarly, "I…don't know. I doubt it is more than just a tattoo though. It might be a seal."

"A seal? How can a person have a seal on them?" Ino asked curiously.

All of a sudden, Naruto turned towards the bush that team ten was hiding in. They tried to back away horrified as he slowly walked towards them, but were surprised to see it disappear in a puff of smoke.

Then they heard a voice from behind, "You three need to learn sign language if you intend on spying on me. I have really good hearing."

All three genin turned around in pure shock to see Naruto eyeing them with his arms crossed. He had a stoic look on his face as he looked over the three members of team ten.

'_Why are they spying on me? Do they recognize my seal? Are they on to me?_' Naruto began to get slightly paranoid about the situation but kept a straight face.

A long awkward silence passed between the four genin before finally Shikamaru spoke up, "Naruto…we're on to your little secret."

'_What? No!_' Naruto's face visibly tensed at the mention as he grit his teeth. '_Just play it smooth…maybe they don't know about Kyuubi…_'

"What secret?" Naruto asked slightly annoyed.

Ino smirked as she answered his question, "We know about your secret training with Jiraiya the sannin and with our own sensei."

"Oh…yeah," Naruto responded apathetically.

"How in the world did an knucklehead like you get a damn sannin to train you?" Chouji asked.

'_Oh for fuck's sake…now they are all going to ask questions. Damn I should have anticipated this_.'

Naruto sighed, "I don't have time to play twenty questions. I suggest you guys go ask Asuma-sensei if you are that curious."

They were all taken aback by the blonde's condescending attitude. "Naruto…what happened to you. I mean ever since we graduated, it's like you're a different person," Ino cut in.

"I am not a different person…this is the way I have always been," Naruto said carelessly.

Chouji sighed, "We were just wondering if you felt like hanging out or something…I mean since you're a fellow pupil of Asuma-sensei and all. You wanna go grab some lunch with us?"

"I am not hungry…" Naruto stated without an ounce of emotion.

Shikamaru was beginning to get concerned, "Seriously Naruto…are you okay? I have never seen you like this before."

"Your concern is pointless…tell me why you three are here?" Naruto said emotionlessly.

Team ten was beginning to feel uneasy by the apathetic look on Naruto's face. They felt as if he was staring into their own souls.

"We just wanted to get to know you better…I mean with the way Asuma-sensei talks about you, we were just curious. He told us we should try becoming friends with you," Ino answered sincerely.

'_Friends…can I trust them? Is their concern genuine or are they just looking for an excuse to pry into my secrets?_' Naruto was contemplating the situation.

Ever since his argument with Kyuubi, the fox left him alone to his own thoughts. Naruto was still fairly shaken up from the whole ordeal.

"Umm…Naruto? You want to get some Dango or something again?" Ino asked.

"We'll pay for you, man…just please lighten up. Your starting to creep me out," Chouji stated.

'_Can I go with them? Should I? Hmm…they don't seem suspicious, just curious. Ah what the hell._'

The blonde nodded his head at Chouji, "Okay, if you guys want have some Dango I guess I'll go."

Team ten looked relieved when some emotion returned to Naruto's voice. "Hey Naruto, would you mind telling us what that tattoo is on your stomach?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto kept a straight face and shrugged, "It is an Uzumaki tattoo…it's given to all members. Although my clan really isn't around anymore."

"I've never heard of an Uzumaki Clan. What happened to them?" Chouji asked curiously.

Naruto shrugged, "No clue…the Hokage just told me that they were wiped out in war."

"Wait a minute…I think my father said something about it once. Uzushio is where the Uzumaki Clan is from. They are one of Konoha's greatest allies. I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner," Shikamaru said.

'_I do not like where this is going…now they are going to ask if I have a bloodline.' _

The blonde sighed, "They were wiped out in war…that's all I know. I know nothing about the clan other than the fact that they originated in Wave Country…formerly Whirlpool Country."

"Does your clan have any kind of bloodline or specialty?" Chouji asked as a curious expression crossed his team's faces.

Naruto shook his head, "None that I know of…nobody even knows about them besides a few Anbu and the Hokage."

"C'mon, Naruto, let's go get that Dango," Shikamaru sighed.

'_Great…what have I gotten myself into. This is why I don't train in public areas…_'

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Upon reaching the Dango Restaurant, the four genin sat down at a booth. Naruto was seated next to Shikamaru across from Chouji and Ino. All three stared intently at him after they sat down.

Naruto looked around awkwardly at their curious expressions and sighed, "Umm…what?"

"Tell us about Jiraiya-sama…how did you become his apprentice?" Shikmaru asked.

'_How the hell am I going to word this without sounding like a total jerk?'_

Naruto sighed in response, "It just sort of happened…it is not really as interesting as you may think."

"Asuma-sensei told us that you received training from Jiraiya-sama for the past four years…how in the world were you the dead last in the academy?" Ino demanded.

The jinchuuriki shrugged, "I don't know…it just sort of happened.'

Ino glared at him and crossed her arms, "C'mon, Naruto, you have got to do better than that! Asuma-sensei also said that you faked incompetence so that you could be put on a stronger team."

The blonde smiled at her and laughed, "Hahaha, did he now? So you three did not find out until he told you?"

"Umm…No," Chouji answered.

Naruto shook his head and chuckled, "Deception is the greatest weapon anyone can wield."

Shikamaru's eyes widened a bit, "So you're admitting it then? You were just downplaying yourself so that you could deceive everybody into thinking you weren't strong?"

"Yes and no…I have other reasons for doing that, but they are not really important enough to mention to you guys," Naruto replied casually.

Ino remembered seeing Sakura crying and decided to bring it up, "So are you dating Sakura or something? She seemed pretty upset the other day."

"No, I am not dating her," Naruto said plainly.

Ino shook her head, "But I saw you two eating ramen together a few weeks ago…I seriously thought you two were together. I mean haven't you always liked her?"

"No," Naruto said emotionlessly.

Chouji sighed, "Who are you and what have you done with Naruto? I thought you were crazy about Sakura!"

"You thought wrong…" Naruto said condescendingly.

Before anybody could respond to him, a waiter brought everybody their Dango. Naruto ate his quickly and kept his eyes down to avoid being dragged into another round of questions.

"So what's the deal with Sasuke?" Chouji asked out of the blue.

Naruto's interest was piqued at the mention of the girl, "Sasuke? Nothing really…her and I are pretty cool with each other."

This caused all three members of team ten to drop their Dango sticks. "What? I thought you two hated each other?" Shikamaru said incredulously.

"Naruto, how can you possibly be friends with her…she's a complete bitch!" Ino stated.

He shrugged at them, "We're on good terms for the most part. I mean we're still rivals, but Sasuke and I are somewhat friends."

Chouji just shook his head, "You are completely backwards now…you are strong, you do not have a crush on Sakura, and now you're telling us you are friends with Sasuke?"

The blonde nodded as he finished eating his Dango, "Yep…anyways, you three take care. I am out of here."

Naruto began walking to the door. "What? Wait!" Ino shouted at the boy before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

She sat back down next to her teammates and sighed, "The new Naruto is kind of a jerk…"

"He barely answered any of my questions…what a drag," the shadow user agreed.

Chouji finished eating his Dango and spoke up, "Uzumaki Clan…I am going to ask my dad if he knows anything else about them."

"That's a good idea…we should all do that," Ino agreed.

Shikamaru shook his head and sighed again, "How troublesome…everything about Naruto is a classified mystery. We don't even know who the hell his parents are…what makes you think we can find out about his clan?"

"Maybe Asuma-sensei knows?" Chouji suggested.

The lazy genius shrugged, "Worth a try I suppose…"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"So that guy lives in a dump like this?" Tenten asked shocked as she, Lee, and Neji were looking around Naruto's apartment.

Lee sighed, "Naruto-kun lives by himself…I did not know that. Does he have any family?"

"I don't see anything to suggest otherwise. There is no trace of anything that suggests he even has a family. Naruto must be an orphan…" the girl said empathetically.

"This is all pointless…there's nothing here," Neji stated annoyed.

Lee spotted a small picture frame on Naruto's nightstand and pointed, "Hey guys…there's a picture there!"

The green clad boy made his way towards the nightstand. He picked it up and eyed it curiously. After a moment of staring his eyes went wide, "Take a look at this…there's a picture of him and some old guy here."

Lee held the frame up and showed it to Neji and Tenten. It only took a brief moment's glance for Neji to recognize it, "That's Jiraiya-sama, the sannin…why would this guy have a picture of him and a sannin together?"

"This might explain a few things…maybe he is a student of Jiraiya?" Tenten said coolly.

Neji sighed at the picture, "You can't seriously believe that can you, Tenten?"

"She's right, Neji…maybe Naruto is Jiraiya-sama's apprentice or something. I mean that is the only explanation for him being able to do that Rasengan ability," Lee added.

"That is illogical though…he is the dead last from this year's graduating class. A student of a sannin could not be a colossal failure like that," Neji stated.

A cough sounded from behind the three genin causing them to turn around shocked. They spotted Yamato standing behind them in his Anbu attire. "When you three requested information on Naruto Uzumaki, I had no idea that you were going to break into his apartment."

"We err…this isn't what it looks like!" Tenten said slightly nervous.

Neji flipped his hair and huffed, "We were just leaving…"

"Anbu keeps a close eye on anyone who gets to curious…I don't know what you three are looking for, but I suggest you move along and maybe I'll pretend I didn't see you," Yamato said calmly.

"Yes sir! We are on our way," Lee said respectfully as he and his teammates left the apartment. They began to jump across the rooftops and distance themselves from Yamato.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX **

Meanwhile, Naruto was now a considerable distance away from team ten after his little lunch encounter with them. The boy didn't like the questions that they were asking. He knew that eventually he would have to answer them, but Naruto did not have the answers.

"**Am I making any sense to you now? Those people do not care about you…they are envious. I could see it in their eyes. You did the right thing by avoiding their questions. Trust is your weakness…you must understand that…or all that you know will fade."**

'_I did not leave because of that…I just feel like being alone right now.' _

"**You always have that feeling don't you? You have an overwhelming urge to distance yourself from them and to hide in your own comfort zone. Would you like to know why?"**

Naruto didn't bother answering because he knew Kyuubi was going to tell him anyways. **"You are secretly afraid of becoming one of them. Deep down, a part of you hates them for reasons you cannot explain."**

'_I do not hate anybody, Kyuubi…there are people I dislike, but hate is a strong word.' _Naruto reasoned as he wandered down the streets of Konoha.

"**You are lying to yourself…you have hid behind your mask for so long that you have repressed your true feelings. You despise them for thinking less of you. As you should…they are far weaker than you are, yet they try to shackle you like a beast!"**

Naruto sighed in defeat, '_Why do I get the feeling this isn't just about me anymore?_'

Kyuubi answered the boy, **"Creatures like you and I born to rule over the weak, but because of it, we are considered cruel and greedy. The weak masses desperately cling to their slave morality and brand anything that isn't in their liking 'Evil' or 'Wrong.' We have been imprisoned to a system of weakness and they have impoverished us to live a life of humble servitude to those hypocritical fools!"**

The jinchuuriki has taken aback by Kyuubi's words, _'Just shut up Kyuubi! Stop trying to corrupt me with all of your hate speeches!_'

**"What makes you so sure that I am the one corrupting you? I am the voice of reason...the only truth you will ever know."**

_'So what? Just what are you trying to do to me?'_

**"I am trying to set you free! Don't you get it? You are a mindless husk…a slave! From the day you were born, these people have been cramming their fucking idealistic code down your throat and whispering poison in your ears! They sought to hold you back because they feared what you were capable of…all that you know is a product of Konoha's indoctrination." **The bijou was pretty angry.

'_So you're telling me that I am this way because of Konoha? If that's true, then what is my place in the world then? Konoha is all I know because it is all that I have…it is the only place I can truly call home. It may not be perfect, but that's just way things are._' Naruto replied.

The blonde had no idea what to think of the fox's accusations. Part of him knew that Kyuubi was wicked to the core, but another part believed every word the demon spoke. Naruto was torn between two directions and he honestly had no idea what to believe.

"**One day you will see for yourself, that you were born into bondage. You will see just how trustworthy your precious people are…and you will understand the true meaning of freedom."**

'_Freedom?'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yeah that's it for this chapter. It is kind of a short filler chapter, but it has some important plot elements in it.

Kyuubi certainly has become a lot darker…what is his true motive? What is he trying to tell Naruto? What will Naruto decide to do? Why am I asking you guys these questions?

Hehehe, anyways, I hope you enjoyed the daydream Sasuke had…also you gotta love her getting a sword huh? I know a lot of you are sad that there wasn't any romance in this chapter…but there are a few reasons for that.

Well anyways, thanks for reading.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: The Letter**

Naruto sighed heavily as he slowly walked the streets of Konoha. A massive downpour of rain left the village dark and gloomy. The jinchuuriki couldn't help but feel that it reflected his current mood. The past four weeks had been long and intense for the blonde boy.

Not only had he been training consistently with Yamato, but Naruto was getting better at the Rasengan exercise that he originally learned from Kyuubi. He almost always avoided the streets and spent days at a time training in the woods. However, tonight, Naruto was on his way home for a nice warm shower.

He was exhausted from his relentless training schedule that he willingly agreed to courtesy of Kyuubi. Ever since his disagreement with the fox, Naruto decided against arguing with him. He knew that he couldn't win.

Naruto tried on more than one occasion to visit Sasuke, but the girl was either consistently busy, or nowhere to be found at the Uchiha Compound. The two conversed briefly from the two or so visits he managed to encounter her, but not for long unfortunately.

The blonde couldn't help but notice that his teammate was becoming much more reclusive and apathetic much like himself. Naruto had no idea if Sasuke was avoiding him or if she was simply training in secret as well.

His doubts were normally washed away from the few visits he saw her, but something about being around the Uchiha made his stomach churn. Much like his previous visit for example. Just last week, Naruto had stopped by to greet his friend but she did not appear to be herself.

The boy couldn't help but notice a darkness in her eyes. Something about the dark stare unnerved him in ways he would never admit. Sasuke eyed him like some sort of threat, yet he could still see a certain genuine attitude she had regarding him. It was hard for Naruto to describe exactly, but he knew for a fact that the Uchiha was not in her proper state of mind.

What was wrong with her? He could only guess. Whatever it was, Naruto knew it would be bad. He was slightly upset about the situation as well. He had been led to believe that he and Sasuke would pick up on friendship easy enough. But he was shamed at how wrong he had been.

Their friendship was not at all what the boy thought it would be. He heard Kyuubi refer to it as a "disaster waiting to happen" on multiple occasions. He hated to admit it, but the blonde was starting to believe in the nine-tail's words. Sasuke did indeed appear unstable. Naruto had theories as to why, but he never got far with them. He couldn't help but think that the cursed seal was responsible for her behavior.

Although, the raven haired girl's true nature was something of a complete mystery to him. He believed that deep down, Sasuke liked him in some regard, but judging by her dark and distant stares at the horizon, Naruto knew that she was troubled about something.

He asked Kyuubi for advice on multiple occasions, but the fox simply ignored him every time Sasuke came up in conversation. The jinchuuriki was unsure what the bijou's deal was either. It was as if Kyuubi knew something that he did not.

That also made Naruto realize how disturbing his relationship with the demonic entity truly was. He sometimes wondered what Jiraiya or the Hokage would think if they found out about the way Kyuubi was influencing him.

It saddened the Naruto to think that he could no longer trust anybody but Kyuubi himself. Part of him believed in the fox, but another part was still loyal to his precious people in Konoha. This trust dilemma had been driving him crazy over the past few months. Deep down, the blonde was truly afraid that he was not the same person he used to be.

Despite his growing concern over the situation, Naruto ultimately figured it would be best to ignore his negative emotions as he always did. He knew that one day there would be consequences for it.

Nevertheless, ignoring his personal turmoil over the past month, had allowed Naruto to get a fair amount of training done. Yamato taught him several new techniques which he had spent the allotted time practicing. He was fairly certain that he had the hang of them, but just like everything else in his arsenal, it wasn't perfect.

Naruto often prided himself on learning new jutsus quickly, but learning them and knowing them were two different things entirely. He knew for a fact that it would take time to perfect his new abilities. That being said, his training with shadow clones would always be a serious boost to his learning ability just as Sasuke's Sharingan would be for her.

'_I wonder what kinds of things she has been training at? I'll bet she puts up a good fight in the finals.' _Naruto wondered as his gaze shifted towards the ripples of water on the ground. He stopped in his tracks for a moment to stare at a nearby rippling puddle.

His reflection was distorted, but at the same time it resembled his current state of mind. _'Nothing makes sense anymore…_' he sighed to himself as his attention shifted from the puddle and back towards home.

The heavy downpour of rain was soon accompanied by a thunderous roar as lightning streaked across the sky. Drawn from his thoughts, the boy noticed he was completely soaked. It did not bother him though. Naruto actually enjoyed the cool and refreshing drizzle to wash away the blood, dirt, and sweat covering his body.

Not to mention, he had every intention of showering upon getting home, so he was not concerned. He rather enjoyed days like this. Almost nobody was on the street which allowed him to walk home in silence and comfort away from the cold stares and the not so silent whispers.

'_Well at least I don't have to go rooftop hopping. Kind of nice to go for a quiet, relaxing walk every once and a while.' _the blonde thought optimistically. He still believed that it was important for him to see a bright side to every situation that he could.

Sadly, the rain did not keep everybody away. A man coming around a corner instantly began to intercept him. Naruto's eyes made contact with what appeared to be a shady looking civilian wearing a large black cloak and a mask to cover his face.

"Naruto Uzumaki…you are a difficult person to locate. Although this village is rather large and you are almost never home," the man spoke in a calm non-threatening way. The boy eyed him curiously as he stopped in his tracks again.

Judging by the man's mostly covered face, Naruto couldn't help but distrust him. He remained silent as he crossed his arms. The civilian man was quiet for a moment waiting for Naruto to acknowledge his comment.

After a long awkward silence, the civilian spoke again, "You are rather powerful for a mere genin. Our leader is very impressed with you."

"Give me one good reason why I should care," Naruto spoke coldly as thunder followed his words. The man smiled and shook his head at the statement, "You should care…our leader has a lot of influence."

There was another awkward silence as thunder sounded again. Naruto guessed that the rain was getting heavier. He felt fat drops painfully assailing his head, but made no sudden movements. The man awkwardly shifted back and forth waiting on Naruto to speak.

Finally, the blonde sighed, "What the hell does your leader want with me? Not to mention…who the hell is your leader?"

"Well I am under strict orders not to release any information. This is a delicate matter that is meant for you and you alone. Come with me, Naruto Uzumaki…someone may be watching," The civilian man whispered calmly.

Naruto was very skeptical about following the strange man, but decided to do so as he walked down the street. The man led him to a small house a short distance away. He held the door open and motioned for the boy to come inside.

Under normal circumstances, Naruto would never openly trust a complete stranger and risk his safety. However, his curiosity surpassed his cautiousness. After he entered the house, the man closed the door behind himself.

He did a brief survey of the room and checked the windows before finally speaking, "Good…we're alone. Forgive my abruptness, but I could not risk anybody overhearing our conversation."

"So you have been watching me?" Naruto asked slightly concerned.

The man nodded, "Yes, myself as well as several others have been tracking you. You have been under light surveillance for the past month. The reason why I have to keep this secretive is because we are not from Konoha."

Naruto's eyes widened, "What? So you guys are infiltrators then…sent to watch me? Where are you from…what village?"

"I am not allowed to release that information to you. Just know that we are not members of your village," the man answered.

"Fine fine whatever. Can you at least and tell me what the hell you want from me," Naruto demanded impatiently.

The man responded in his passive attitude, "Our leader is very interested in you. The fact that you are a member of the Uzumaki Clan is one of the most prominent reasons."

"**Interesting…"**

Naruto shook his head, "So what? You just came here to tell me that?"

The man smiled and answered him, "No, Naruto Uzumaki, I was sent to deliver a package to you. I was given strict orders to not open it and give it to you alone. Do not open it in front of me…just as a safety precaution."

"What the hell? Is it dangerous or something? Why does your leader want me to have this package?" Naruto asked.

"I can't say…although I am positive that you have nothing to fear from it," the spy responded casually.

Naruto stared at him skeptically, "So just how much do you guys spy on me? And why?"

"We do routine observations and keep track of local rumors, however we do not directly spy on you…but we have eyes and ears everywhere, with influence reaching even into the ranks of Konoha's Anbu. There are many spies within this village that are willing to assist in espionage for the cause," The man explained.

"What cause would that be?" Naruto asked skeptically.

He smiled at the boy, "We are dedicated to exposing the truth and rebuilding something that was lost. I have no ill will against this village, but I believe that it is in need of a little change. I would prefer a more peaceful solution, but that may not be possible."

"Are you guys enemies of Konoha?" the boy asked slightly worried.

"That remains to be seen. We have spoken long enough, Naruto Uzumaki, take the package directly home and open it. Do not relay the contents to anybody…not even your trusted friends or senseis."

Without another word, the civilian man opened the front door. Naruto took that as the cue to leave and he walked out through the door.

Wasting no time due to his anxiousness, Naruto rushed home as fast as he could across the rooftops.

Upon getting home, Naruto locked the door behind himself immediately before closing all the blinds on his windows and checking his apartment. After a brief survey of his home, he concluded it was safe to open the package.

He placed it on top of his bed and began to open it with a nearby kunai on his nightstand. After a brief moment, the package was expertly opened. The contents inside were not what Naruto expected. The first thing he noticed was a letter, but directly beneath it, he saw a strange looking necklace. It was pure black and appeared to be in a twisted braid of metal.

Naruto saw six small spikes protruding down the sides. He examined the necklace curiously as he traced his hands across it. He figured the letter would explain what it was.

Wasting no time, Naruto instantly began to read the letter:

_Naruto Uzumaki,_

_I have kept a close eye on you for quite some time now. As one of my agents has no doubt informed you, I have eyes and ears all over your village. For the sake of protecting my identity in the worst case scenario that this package is intercepted, I will not mention my name or affiliation. _

_My identity is irrelevant anyways. I was simply curious about the great Uzumaki genin that everybody keeps talking about. Rumors are spreading like wild fires about you. I have heard that you are the pupil of Jiraiya. I must confess I was rather surprised to hear about that. Not to mention my spies say that you learned the Uzumaki Bloodline already. _

_That is very intriguing…although considering that you have the scroll and who you are, I suppose I should not be surprised. I am ashamed that I did not recognize your true identity sooner. The red chakra…you are indeed the jinchuuriki for the mighty nine-tails. _

Kyuubi chuckled at that part, **"Damn right I'm mighty!"**

_I can't help but find your servitude towards Konoha rather distasteful. I don't know what they have told you about the Uzumaki Clan, just don't believe it. You deserve to hear the whole story, but I would prefer to tell you in person. All I can say is the clan still lives on._

_There are several dozen members of the Uzumaki Clan left. A majority of them live in Kiri, Ame, and most in Iwa. I hope you noticed the coincidence that those are three of Konoha's biggest enemies with the exception of Kumo. It may shock you to know that Iwa takes in Uzumaki Clan members seeking refuge. _

_Konoha withheld that information from you so you would not join them. The Hokage thinks that by allowing you to become a Konoha ninja and by feeding you legacy speeches that he can keep you close and away from your clan and under the control of Konoha.. You're working for the enemy…just something to think about. _

_Anyways, that is not the point of my message. Back to the reason why I sent this letter…the necklace you see before you belongs to a powerful member of the Uzumaki Clan. I think you should have it. Don't ask where it came from._

_There is one more thing before I wrap this up…The Uzumaki Compound has been destroyed._

_Konoha recently sent a large group of Anbu to dispose of the remains of Uzushio. Take that as a sign that they are trying to cover their tracks. I cannot say anymore without compromising my identity. Please consider what I have said. I'll be watching you._

_From: Your Secret Admirer_

_P.S. Burn the letter _

Naruto was completely blown away by the news. First about the news of surviving clan members. Naruto was dumbstruck that something like that was kept from him. The thought made him angry because it was just another sign that Kyuubi was right about him being controlled.

'Wait a minute…didn't the Hokage say that Kiri and Kumo wiped out the Uzumaki Clan? Why would survivors live in Kiri then?' Naruto asked shocked.

"**Isn't it obvious…they lied to you."**

'_But you said it was true…that means you lied as well.' _Naruto stated worried.

"**You had a lot on your mind at that point…I figured you wouldn't believe the truth from me anyways until something like this happened. Consider that solid evidence!"**

The jinchuuriki shook his head in disbelief before puking all over the floor. _'You can't be right about this Kyuubi…that would mean everything you're saying is true. Why would they lie to me?'_

The fox let out a long heavy sigh, **"Is it really that hard to believe? I told you this from the beginning. Believe me, kit…the things I say are actually relevant."**

'_First they lie to me about my clan, then they destroy the compound. What is the meaning of all this?'_

"**Konoha destroyed your village and shattered the Uzumaki Clan."**

'_Why would they do such a thing? I can't even fathom this…'_

Naruto could barely believe that Konoha would wipe out the Uzumaki Clan, lie to him, and then destroy the compound to cover it up.

Just then the boy had an epiphany. Kakashi went on an Anbu mission recently and was gone for two full weeks. That only led Naruto to assume one thing…Kakashi's squad destroyed the Compound.

'_They don't want the Uzumaki Clan to return. They are afraid of us…afraid of me.' _Naruto concluded in a shocked state.

"**They are afraid of everything from what I've seen."**

'_I can't believe I'm saying this, but you are starting to make sense Kyuubi. If what you say is true, then I have to confront the Hokage immediately.' _

"**NO! Do not alert your enemy. That is what they are. Deep down a part of you always knew that they couldn't be trusted. Why else would you have kept them in the dark all this time about your training and about my presence in your mind."**

'_So you would have me do nothing?_' the jinchuuriki demanded.

"**This is why I didn't want to tell you right away. You're on the verge of hysteria. For now you need to be patient. Play their game for a little while longer. Any course of action at this point would be completely stupid on your part."**

'_I feel sick…'_

"**Yes…I find this whole ordeal disgusting as well. However, it is best if you regain your composure. I'm very interested in this necklace that came in the package."**

Naruto sighed as his attentions shifted back to the necklace he received in the package.

He picked it up and reexamined it. '_Belongs to a powerful member of the Uzumaki Clan huh? Hmm…guess I'll wear it then._'

"**I suppose it hasn't occurred to you that the person who sent that necklace wants you to wear it?" **Kyuubi sighed.

'_Do you think it is dangerous?_' Naruto asked cautiously.

"**Of course it is dangerous…can't you sense the amount of chakra radiating from it?" **Kyuubi laughed maniacally.

'_Why is it doing that? What kind of amulet is this?'_

"**Well if my guess is correct, I would assume that the original wearer created it out of pure chakra. I have never seen such a dark twisted metal before. However, I know for a fact that your ancestors were capable of creating these things for multiple purposes."**

'_Really? What do you think this one does?'_

"**It appears to be a chakra transmitter of some kind. I'm guessing something like this would be purely ornamental to anybody except it's creator. I guess the sender figures an Uzumaki relic would be better suited in the hands of a surviving member. Or it could be a token of trust."**

'_What if the sender is an Uzumaki Clan member?' _Naruto noted in a somewhat hopeful manner.

"**Yes…no doubt they would hold some kind of reverence for the surviving heir of their clan," **Kyuubi trailed off.

Naruto stared at the black necklace again, _'Do you think I should wear it, Kyuubi?'_

There was a brief silence before Kyuubi answered, **"You might as well wear it; whether or not it proves useful in coming days shall remain to be seen."**

'_At any rate…I believe that the sender is trustworthy.' _Naruto stated as he slipped the black braided necklace over his head and onto his neck. He traced his hands over the curled spikes that lined either side.

"**I believe you have just become a pawn in somebody else's game. Obviously this leader has an agenda with you."**

'_The leader knows I was at the compound…_'

"**Indeed…I find that bit of information disturbing."**

'_Who do you think this leader might be?' _Naruto asked curiously as he set the letter on fire over his bathroom sink.

Kyuubi thought for a moment and answered, **"Your sender is obviously somebody important…they were afraid to mention their name. They also have some kind of connection to the Uzumaki Clan. This is an interesting turn of events."**

'_I believe that he or she has to be a member. I mean it only makes sense.' _Naruto stated.

"**It seems very likely…although I have no doubt that he or she has ulterior motives for you and this village."**

The boy sighed, '_I hope this doesn't make me insanely paranoid. I don't like the idea of being surrounded by enemies or getting stalked by foreign ninjas._'

"**They said that they do not watch you all the time…otherwise I would have noticed them. I think that there is some underhanded, shady stuff going on. We will have to be more alert if we can ever hope to find out what it is."**

Drawn from his thoughts, Naruto examined his appearance in the bathroom mirror. He was still completely soaked, but thankfully, the rain water washed away most of the sweat and dirt from his earlier training. He looked at his new necklace hanging around his neck and couldn't help but admire the way it looked on him.

'_Well I suppose I should get cleaned up so I can go to bed,_' the boy concluded.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

In the Uchiha Compound, a certain raven haired girl was lying lazily on a bench. Sasuke's mind wandered aimlessly over the recent turn of events in her life. The past few weeks had been difficult for her to adjust to. The girl was suffering from subtle influences from the cursed seal. She would occasionally activate it and test its power, but not for long.

Sasuke felt waves of angst and sorrow every day. She did not know why, but she would alternate between negative emotions. She was either depressed or angry. Neither one suited her very well and caused her to become much more reclusive. The very thought of Itachi made her blood boil. She felt much more susceptible to her anger ever since she received the cursed seal.

Lately she just couldn't stand anybody or anything. Every time the girl ventured into public, she was met with awkward stares from villagers and fellow Shinobi. Sometimes she would see everyday villagers boasting about some matter or another.

She couldn't help but find the naivety and obliviousness of people frustrating. None of them knew what it meant to be tough…to be strong. For that matter, Sasuke noticed that the majority of people didn't know much of anything besides their tiny little comfort zones.

Sasuke felt like everybody in the village had a false sense of entitlement. They ignorantly and simply believed that Konoha was the center of the universe. Although the most annoying thing to her was seeing super girly girls.

Sasuke found it sad how they spent all their time worrying about hair, makeup, and popularity. _'It's like they turned themselves into dolls playing dress up…_' she thought.

Occasionally the Uchiha wondered what was the big deal about being feminine. From what she saw in recent years, not very many girly girls make it far as Shinobi. Whether it was a maturity thing or simply lack of experience, Sasuke didn't really care.

She was never really much of a girly girl and rejected that path courtesy of her father. Sasuke's father never gave her time for any of that stuff.

Part of her secretly hoped that she could one day learn how to be an actual girl and catch Naruto's eye, but despite that fantasy, she knew her father's words were true. Sasuke's mind wandered on the thought. It was a memory she remembered quite well:

**(FLASHBACK)**

A young raven-haired Sasuke was sitting across from her father next to Itachi. Sasuke's father sternly raised a brow at the girl as she held her head down in shame. The man shook his head in disgust and held up a doll, "What is this, Sasuke?"

"My doll…" She answered timidly as she avoided eye contact with her father. Itachi remained silent while Sasuke's father glared at the girl.

Her father growled angrily as he ripped the doll to pieces, "You will never be strong if you waste all of your time playing with dolls!"

"Father! Why would you do that?" Sasuke shrieked emotionally as she shook her head in disbelief. Itachi's face visibly saddened as he eyed his father.

"Tell me, Sasuke, do you ever see Itachi playing with dolls?" Fugaku asked sternly.

The girl refused to make eye contact with her father as she nervously answered, "Umm…no."

"That's right! NOOO! You will never be worthy of this family unless you push yourself like your brother! Playing with dolls is a waste of time!" the man yelled.

Sasuke tried to retaliate, "But all of the other girls have dolls!"

Her father looked like he was about to smack her but a cold stare from Itachi stopped him. He sighed, "Do not be naïve…those girls are never going to amount to anything. They are going to fret around like airheads for a couple years and eventually get married and have kids. That is all they will ever accomplish!"

"You are a bit unreasonable father…" Itachi commented. His father glared at him and huffed, "Shut up, boy! I will not have my daughter become some second rate failure!" Fugaku shouted.

"Father, why can't I be like the other girls though? Why do I have to train all the time? They always make fun of me…" The young Sasuke said sadly. Itachi visibly frowned at the statement.

"You would shame this clan if you were like them, Sasuke. Uchihas are strong and proud! I will not have any child of mine walloping around like an airhead over boys, dolls, and other useless nonsense! Get this through your head, girl…you can never be that way!"

"But why? This isn't fair father…" Sasuke pleaded desperately.

"Get over it! Life is not fair! If you want anything in life you have to earn it; nothing in this world is free! As a member of the Uchiha Clan, it is your solemn duty to rise above your peers. You will never be as good as your brother unless you follow his path. The path of the prodigy!" Fugaku stated.

"Why do I have to do that though? Why don't you like me the way I am?" the girl asked heartbroken.

"The way you are is not the way you should be. Tell me Sasuke…why do you want to be like the other girls so bad?" Sasuke's father asked. The girl knew he was about to tear her apart but she decided to answer anyways.

"Well…the other girls are popular and everybody likes them and wants to be their friend," The Uchiha answered honestly.

Her father laughed at the answer, "That is ridiculous! I want you to remember this well, Sasuke…there is a big difference between being popular and being respected. If you try to be like them, then you will never earn any respect or become a good ninja like your brother. Do you understand?"

"Fugaku! She's just a child…you expect too much of her!" Sasuke's mother, Mikoto, just walked into the room angrily as she defended Sasuke.

The girl remained silent as her father responded to her mother's defense, "She must learn this lesson here and now! No child of mine will be any less than what I expect of them!"

"For goodness sakes, Fugaku! She is just a girl! She should be allowed to be one and to have friends. Sasuke is not Itachi…" Mikoto replied angrily.

"A fact I am well aware of…I am trying to change that. She is not you either, Mikoto. _My daughter _will be just like me and just like her brother," Fugaku said.

"Itachi please talk some sense into your father! Surely you don't agree with this?" Mikoto asked.

Itachi didn't answer at first but finally sighed, "Father is right in some regards, but he is also wrong. This is a difficult situation, mother."

Sasuke thought about her brother's words. She practically worshipped her older brother and upon hearing his comment she began to contemplate her father's rant.

"Itachi! This is your little sister we're talking about! You honestly cannot believe that!" Mikoto shouted in disbelief.

"Itachi does believe it because he knows I am right. My daughter shall follow her brother's footsteps," Fugaku stated.

Itachi sighed deeply, "She must become strong…but not for the reasons you think father."

The man glared icily at his son, "Watch your tone with me boy…you may be a high ranking Anbu, but I'm still your father!"

Mikoto shook her head angrily, "You're going to turn our children into sociopaths, Fugaku!"

Fugaku ignored his wife's yelling as he walked over towards his daughter. Sasuke raised her head as she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her father spoke somewhat sincerely, "Work hard and become strong Sasuke…nothing would make me prouder than to see my little girl following in her brother's footsteps."

Mikoto was very angry at her husband and started yelling again.", "You can't do this to our children, Fugaku! You are mentally scarring them!"

Sasuke's father turned his head towards her mother, "You are dismissed, Sasuke…take time to think about what I have said."

The girl took her leave as quickly as she could. She got a reasonable distance away from her house but could hear her parents yelling even from the outside.

Sasuke sat down on a bench further down the street and sighed as she stared at the ground. She was still recovering from her father's tirade and tried to hold back tears.

Just then, another person sat next to her on the bench. Sasuke looked up and saw her brother Itachi vacantly staring in the direction of their house. There was pure silence between the two for a long moment before Sasuke finally spoke, "Brother…why does father hate me?"

Itachi frowned at the question, "Father does not hate you, Sasuke…he loves you very much. Father is just trying to motivate you become stronger. If he truly hated you then he would ignore you completely."

"So you think father is right?" the girl asked.

Itachi shrugged, "That's something you'll have to decide for yourself soon enough," Itachi said distantly.

"But why? Why is it so important that I become strong?" The girl asked.

Itachi frowned, "You'll understand one day…"

**(END FLAHSBACK)**

That was one of Sasuke's most definitive memories of her parents. The sad thing is, that was the last time she saw her parents alive on the night before the Uchiha Massacre. It was a very painful memory laced in the framework of her mind.

She sighed as she lingered on her father's words words, "Only the strong survive…I think I am beginning to understand."

"Understand what?" a voice sounded from behind her. Sasuke instantly recognized the source as the Kakashi.

She turned around and met her teacher's curious gaze and answered, "Nothing…I was just remembering something my father said to me once."

"I remember him…he was a strong and proud man," The copy-nin trailed off.

Sasuke shrugged, "Not strong enough apparently…"

Kakashi looked concerned at her tone and spoke up, "I came to check on that cursed seal of yours. It needs to be watched. There have been reports of you behaving differently."

"I'll just bet…I'm fine sensei," Sasuke responded.

The jounin shrugged, "Well the finals are coming up soon, and I just want you to be prepared for them without that seal holding you back. If you have any issues with it let me know will you?"

"Yes Kakashi-sensei," the Uchiha said indifferently.

Kakashi knew that Sasuke wasn't really listening to him, but decided against saying anything. _'I hope this doesn't come back to bite me in the ass…' _

The copy-nin nodded his head at the girl before changing the subject, "That's not the only reason I'm here. I am also concerned with your violent and territorial behavior towards your teammates…mainly Sakura."

Sasuke rolled her eyes, "Did she tattle on me or something? I didn't do anything except draw the line for her. She's the weak link on our team and I am trying to make her stronger."

The copy-nin raised a brow, "Really? It seemed a bit more personal from my point of view."

The raven haired girl's eyes widened, "You…saw us?"

"Seemed like you two were arguing over Naruto. Care to explain what this whole business is about?" Kakashi cocked his head.

"I…it's not like that at all sensei. I just don't want.." Sasuke trailed off.

"You don't want anybody else getting between you and Naruto," the jounin finished for her. Sasuke looked away half annoyed but flustered.

Sasuke was too embarrassed to respond as she looked down shamefully. After an awkward silence she finally spoke up, "Listen, Kakashi-sensei, I didn't mean to do that to Sakura. I'm just stressed out lately with everything and…"

The silver haired man held his hand up and nodded, "I understand, Sasuke…just remember that you are all a team. Try not to alienate your teammates over something like this. If you push too hard, your teammates will resent you. Just something to think about."

The jounin turned to leave but stopped in his tracks as Sasuke spoke up again, "Sensei!"

He turned to face the proud Uchiha who had a rather shy look on her face as she lowered her voice, "About Naruto…"

"What about him? As far as I'm concerned that's your business. If you're worried about me telling anybody then you can be at ease. I respect all of your privacy enough to keep your secrets," Kakashi stated calmly.

A wave of relief hit the girl before she responded, "Well for what it's worth, I appreciate it." she smiled for the first time in weeks.

Kakashi gave her his one eyed smile in response, "Maybe you should get out of the compound for a little bit and clear your head. Tomorrow is the big day. Take some time off, Sasuke…I'm pretty sure Naruto has the day off from training," Kakashi finished before finally disappearing in a puff of smoke.

After he left, Sasuke sprawled across the bench again. She stared distantly as her mind wandered, _'I guess I should take a break for a few hours. All of this self-reflection is going to make me crazy…well crazier.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto was reluctantly strolling down one of the main streets of the Konoha market. He didn't know why, but he was utterly sick of traveling by rooftop everywhere. At first it wasn't too bad, but unfortunately for Naruto, his hearing caught almost every comment about him.

Normally, he would just ignore them and give himself an inner pep talk about being the better person, but recent news had put him on a much shorter fuse than usual.

"It's him…that fox kid. I hear he's going to be in the finals for the chunin exams," One voice stated.

Another quickly answered it, "I hear that he's the pupil of the legendary Jiraiya. Why would a sannin train such a horrible monster?"

Naruto shot a nasty glare at the two gossiping women as he walked by. He continued to listen to the nearby villagers.

"The ninjas in this village are making a big mistake by empowering that fiend. He won't remain docile forever," an elderly man whispered to his middle aged daughter. She nodded in response, "I hope he gets put back in his place when he loses the finals."

"He shouldn't be allowed to flaunt himself around our village after all he did…" One man stated bitterly. A woman nodded in response, "I hear he's training a lot lately. He needs to be put in restraints before he starts getting out of hand."

"See the look in his eyes? He's becoming more aggressive. That thing is too dangerous to be around normal people," A third voice agreed.

Completely pissed by her statement, Naruto ripped out a kunai and tossed it at the latest gossiper. The civilian looked horrified as the blade passed a hair's length from her face.

"You haven't seen dangerous yet, you pious bitch!" Naruto yelled at the woman causing her to run away in fear. All of the nearby gossipers instantly shut up as Naruto scoped a glance of disgust around at all of them.

Several began to run away as he twirled one of his trench knives around his hand. "Does anybody else have something they want to fucking say to my face?" The boy demanded. This caused pure silence much to his approval as he began to continue down the street.

"**Good. Put them in their place."**

'_What the fuck is wrong with these people? I mean, I know I am a jinchuuriki, but that's no reason to hate me!_'

"**They have nobody to blame their anger and hatred on after I was sealed, so they direct it towards you. To them we're the same being…the people of Konoha don't understand me like the Uzumaki Clan did. I was revered for my awesome power."**

'_I want to know more about my clan…why weren't they afraid of you like the rest of the world?' _Naruto asked curiously.

"**That's a really long story." **Kyuubi sighed heavily.

'_We have all day to do nothing. You might as well tell me.'_

"**I really don't feel like telling it…"**

'_C'mon fox, Just give me a summarized version!_'

"**I'll tell you when you're older. HAHAHA!"**

'_Are you kidding me? Stop avoiding my questions fox!'_

"**This story is what you humans call 'A door best left closed.'"**

'_What about Mito Uzumaki? What's your connection to her?'_

"**Best friends forever."**

'_C'mon, Kyuubi, you can't keep doing this to me. The curiosity is going to drive me insane.'_

"**Kit, I have over a thousand years worth of gossip that I would be more than happy to relay to you one of these days. However, for the time being, I suggest you focus on your finals. You have enough on your mind…as do I."**

'_Don't give me the All-Knowing 'it's for your own good' speech. You will be answering my questions after the finals. Understand?'_

"**I might start respecting you one day," **Kyuubi chuckled.

Drawn from his thoughts, Naruto heard a voice sound from in front of him, "You! Uzumaki!"

The blonde looked up and met the infamous sand trio once again. Kankuro was pointing at him intensely.

Gaara had a slight hint of emotion on his face whilst Temari had her arms crossed and her hair down. Naruto couldn't help but comment on the matter, "So you took the pigtails off huh? I thought they made you look kind of cute."

Temari shook her head in disgust, "Don't even try sweet talking me bud! You don't impress me at all."

"I guess my opinion must mean a great deal to you seeing as how you changed your hair…what was your name again? Sandy?" Naruto goaded the girl.

He didn't know why he was being a cocky jerk lately, but part of him didn't care because he enjoyed putting condescending people in their place.

"You had nothing to do with that hotshot! Get over yourself…" Temari said venomously.

Kankuro laughed at his sister's frustration, '_I may not like this guy…but I can't help but laugh at the way he gets Temari all worked up.'_

Gaara remained passive as he stared at Naruto's face closely. Temari continued to trash talk the Konoha genin before Gaara cut in, "Naruto Uzumaki, what are those markings on your face?"

The blonde was intrigued by Gaara's question. _'I wonder why he's interested in my whisker marks?'_

"**Probably for the same reason you're interested in his Ultimate Defense. He seems to take you a lot more seriously than any of the others around here."**

"Yeah, what's with the marks?" Temari restated the question.

Naruto shook his head and laughed, "It's strange…you guys just can't seem to stay away from me. Do you truly have nothing better to do? I was under the impression that I was 'not worth your time?'"

Temari smirked at the remark and nodded, "That's about right."

"Well Sandy, you don't mind if I call you Sandy do you? I believe that you three are going to change your tone when I win the finals," Naruto said casually as he raised a brow at Temari.

"STOP TRYING TO ACT COOL! AND DON'T CALL ME SANDY!" Temari instantly charged Naruto but was surprised to find herself restrained by Gaara's sand.

"Don't be stupid, Temari," Gaara stated emotionlessly as he released his sister. She looked shocked as her younger brother began to walk away. Kankuro followed him without a word leaving Temari alone.

She felt completely embarrassed by the whole situation as Naruto raised a brow. After a brief silence she sighed, "You're going to die if you face Gaara…just remember that punk!"

"Oh I will, Sandy," Naruto said sarcastically as he walked away.

Before Temari had a chance to respond, Naruto disappeared. She growled in frustration, "URRRGHH!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next day, Naruto slowly approached the massive stadium that would house the chunin exam finals. Traffic was insane back and forth which caused him to feel a bit uncomfortable with the abundance of people coming and going from the structure.

He sighed as he looked up at the giant building. _'Wow…there's going to be a lot of people watching this.' _The boy noted. Despite his like for attention, Naruto couldn't help but feel nervous by the amount of villagers and foreign Shinobi that would be watching the exams.

'_This is nuts! That stadium could probably hold over a thousand people!' _the blonde fretted.

"**Are you kidding me? You're not seriously getting intimidated by something so pathetic. See it as an opportunity to engrave your name and power into the hearts of all the cowering masses!"**

'_What if I do something stupid? I mean a lot of those people already hate me.' _

"**Strength attracts strength. Power demands respect. They may hate you, but they will respect you for what you are capable of."**

'_Yeah…but I can't use all of those abilities in this exam without causing a scene. Yamato said I could kill somebody.'_

"**Accidents happen…hahahahaha!"**

Naruto laughed at Kyuubi's joke on instinct for a few moments until he realized how utterly disturbing it was. _'Why am I laughing at your jokes now? I don't want to kill anybody if I don't have to.'_

"**Could've fooled me. And let's be honest here, my jokes are funny."**

The blonde surveyed the surrounding area and found it rather amusing to see that despite the massive crowds, there was a bubble of open space surrounding him on all sides. He made eye contact with a few people and saw them walk faster upon doing so. People in his age group or younger would pass through it however.

"**Gossip travels fast around here. Looks like they're afraid to come near you. Good." **Kyuubi smirked.

Naruto felt a quick jolt of chakra radiating around his neck. It focused on one point of his necklace. _'What the hell is this thing doing?_'

"**Wow, it is warning you. Look to your left."**

Upon doing so, Naruto spotted several dozen Anbu covertly watching him from different angles. He made sure not to look alerted but was surprised to see their bodies outlined in a purple glow. _'This thing detects people? Wow I didn't even see those guys.'_

"**Neither did I…They don't look like regular Anbu to me. Guess the council has ROOT watching you now. Well that's fucking outstanding."**

'_What does that mean for me exactly?' _Naruto asked.

"**It means you won't be able to even take a piss without them filing a report."**

"HEY NARUTO! GOSH MY YOUTHFUL RIVAL YOU LOOK SO INVIGORATED TODAY!" the jinchuuriki face palmed upon spotting the green leotard wearing Rock Lee approaching.

"Oh, hey Lee what's up?" the boy responded casually.

This apparently attracted a lot of attention because several members of Rookie nine began to show up. It was only then that Naruto realized that he stood out like a sore thumb in the crowds due to the bubble of space surrounding him.

"Hey Naruto what's happening? You excited for the finals?" Chouji asked enthusiastically. Looking over the newly arrived people, Naruto realized that all of team ten, Rock Lee, and Team eight were surrounding him.

"I guess," the blonde answered distantly.

"Don't go thinking you're going to win, Naruto…from what I hear, the competition is going to be crazy," Shikamaru stated unsupportively.

"Gaara is going to be true terror of this competition. From what I have been able to gather from visiting Suna residents, he has killed hundreds of enemy jounin. Many believe he is a deranged monster," Shino added.

Naruto shrugged, "He seems alright to me." This caused his fellow genin to look concerned.

"Are you crazy, Naruto? That guy almost killed Lee!" Ino stated factually.

"Nothing can put out my flames of youth!" Lee shouted cheerily trying to ease the mood.

Naruto decided it was a good time to change the subject, "So, Shino, how are you and your team doing?"

"We are doing well considering recent events," The bug user answered.

Kiba was staring at the ground shamefully but managed to finally speak up, "Hey listen, Uzumaki…"

Everybody shifted their attention to him. Naruto raised a brow curiously at the boy, "What is it Kiba?"

"I just wanted to apologize for being an asshole to you for all those years…for what it's worth, I'm sorry," Kiba said quietly.

This caused everybody present to drop their jaws shocked.

"Did Kiba just apologize? Oh my god, the world is coming to an end!" Ino shouted.

Shikamaru just chuckled, "Well ladies and gentlemen…we might have to wait another one hundred years to see this happen again."

A chorus of laughter followed his joke. Chouji nodded his head, "Talk about a once in a lifetime occurrence."

"HEY! Watch it you guys! I'm being serious here." Kiba responded violently in a comical fashion.

"Kiba-kun is just t-t-trying to s-say he respects you, Naruto-kun," Hinata cut in timidly.

As the blonde shifted his gaze towards the girl she blushed crimson and looked down embarrassed.

Naruto nodded his head as he looked back over towards Kiba, "Well I guess apology accepted."

"So we're cool?" Kiba asked.

The blonde nodded in response, "Yeah we're cool."

Kyuubi laughed at the scene, **"Well that's cute."**

"N-naruto-kun…" Hinata barely voiced causing everybody to shift their attention back towards the Hyuuga.

She awkwardly twiddled her fingers before speaking up, "I appreciate what you did back in the preliminaries."

This caused the boy to look confused, "Why? What did I do?"

"Naruto don't be so thick. You stood up to Neji for her," Ino answered.

Hinata nodded her head as she briefly tried to make eye contact with the boy. She blushed crimson again as Naruto responded, "Your welcome. I was pretty annoyed with the stupid fate speech anyways."

A cough sounded from behind the group. As everybody turned to spot the source they spotted Tenten.

"Neji-kun will probably be more than a match for most of the competition in the finals. You have a very slim chance of beating him Naruto. Even with your jutsus, his gentle fist can disrupt your chakra," The girl explained.

"**I suggest you find a reason to get out of here before even more people start showing up."**

As if on cue, the sand trio came upon the group. Temari instantly started glaring at Naruto. The blonde took their arrival as a sign that the exams would be starting soon.

"Well well well if it isn't the blonde whisker kid and his rag tag bunch of weak Konoha ninjas," Kankuro said. This caused Kiba to instantly retaliate, "Watch yourself make-up man!"

Naruto almost laughed when he realized Temari had her pig tails back in. He was about to say something about it until something else caught his eye. Naruto lost all interest in the group surrounding him as he spotted Sasuke approaching from the distance.

She was wearing a different outfit than she normally wore. Instead of her regular attire, the Uchiha donned all black. **(A.N. Just look at my profile picture if you want a visual. It's the middle one)**

The boy was captivated by the Uchiha girl as she walked closer. He couldn't help but feel his heart race as she smiled at him. _'She looks like she's in a good mood today. I hope she's feeling better than last time I saw her.' _Naruto thought cheerfully.

"Hey dude are you even listening to me!" Temari shouted causing Naruto to shift back towards the sand siblings.

"Were you saying something?" the boy asked casually.

"I'VE had enough of this! Let's go," Temari motioned for her brothers to follow. They made their way into the stadium leaving the genin group alone.

By this time Sasuke had finally reached them and raised a brow curiously, "What was that all about?"

Naruto shrugged, "I don't know."

"Well I guess we should be going now," Shino said as he and his team departed. Lee and Tenten followed suit. As he left, Lee waved to them, "DO WELL IN THE FINALS NARUTO AND SASUKE!"

Shikamaru crossed his arms at Sasuke and sighed, "Well I'm outta here before this all becomes troublesome. C'mon guys let's go."

Chouji followed his friend leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone. Well almost alone. Ino was still standing awkwardly next to the two giving occasional glances in Sasuke's direction.

They both ignored her as they conversed. "Hey, Naruto, how's the training been going recently?" Sasuke asked. The boy couldn't help but find her good mood contagious as he flashed a foxy grin, "Well, it's been hectic, but definitely worthwhile."

"I have been looking forward to it for a while now. A test of strength is just what we need eh?" the girl laughed.

"Woah woah woah! Since when did you two become friends?" Ino cut in out of nowhere.

Sasuke rolled her eyes and sighed, "Umm, do you mind? We're having a conversation here."

The blonde girl crossed her arms and smirked, "As a matter of fact I do…it's a public sidewalk and I can stand here as long as I want."

"What do you want, Ino?" Naruto asked. Sasuke began to glare at the girl when a small smile formed on Ino's lips.

"Oh nothing, I just wanted to have a few words with you…alone," Ino glared back at Sasuke as she finished the sentence. The two began to lock into a staring contest.

The raven haired Uchiha cracked her knuckles, "I'll tell you this one more time…Get lost!"

"Hmph, whatever. I'll see you around, Naruto when you're in better company," Ino said as she walked away swaying her hips.

"What was that all about?" the blonde thought aloud.

Sasuke instantly changed the subject, "Well the finals start soon…I just wanted to talk to you about it."

"What's on your mind, Sasuke?" Naruto asked

She looked around at the dwindling crowds and back towards him, "Can we go somewhere more private?"

He nodded his head, "Sure. Let's go to that rooftop over there."

After the two landed on the nearby rooftop and on a private balcony, Sasuke began again, "Well I've just been going through a lot lately and I wanted to apologize for being so distant lately. It's hard to think straight when I'm around you."

"What have you been going through?" Naruto asked curiously.

The girl pointed at her cursed seal, "At first I thought it was a bad thing…but now I see that it's not."

This caused Naruto to look concerned, "You sure about that?"

She nodded, "Never mind that though…I just wanted to say that I'm glad you were put on my team and…" Sasuke blushed deeply as she turned her back to the boy. Her stomach churned and her heart began to race. She knew she couldn't tell him…couldn't say it.

No matter how much she wanted Naruto to know what he meant to her, Sasuke was truly afraid that it would lead to weakness. _'Be strong Sasuke…you can't be held back by anything or anyone to kill Itachi.' _The girl kept repeating in her head.

"And what?" Naruto asked hopeful as he hung on her last word.

"And to wish you good luck in the finals," Sasuke said without facing him.

Naruto took her facing away as a bad sign. "Oh…" he trailed off as he looked away.

"Be strong and fight well, my friend," Sasuke said as she left him alone. Naruto couldn't help but feel depressed by the way the conversation occurred.

'_Guess she doesn't like me the same way that I like her. I suppose at this rate I might be alone for the rest of my life.'_

"**Look on the bright side, you'll have me to talk to for the rest of your life."**

Naruto sighed, _'I guess I shouldn't get worked up over stuff like this anyways. I have all this clan business I have to worry about now. I'll definitely be looking into it after the finals.'_

"**Yes…and I also recommend you find out more about the person who sent the letter."**

'_I should head to the stadium and sign in.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I'M ALIVE ! Yeah I am super super super super super sorry for that long wait you guys had. I never had time for it between college, work, and whatever else. Then it always seemed like something else would come up and distract me. *COUGH* Skyrim *COUGH*

*COUGH* SWTOR *COUGH*

Anyways, I just wanted to reward my faithful readers with a long overdue update. As always thanks for reading.


	10. Chapter 10

I sincerely appreciate all the positive reviews from you loyal readers. I apologize for taking so long to post this chapter. The reason this took me over a year to update is because I kind of lost interest in the series for a while and then ended up forgetting about this website. What makes me feel even worse is I've had this chapter mostly done for something like 8 months now. Hopefully I haven't lost my touch…so without further ado I present you the long awaited finals!

**Chapter 10: The Finals**

The big day was finally here. The past few months had all been leading up to this moment of truth in Naruto's eyes. He walked through the double doors of the massive stadium into the middle of the arena. He spotted the rest of the competitors already standing there with the grader.

There was an awkward silence as all eyes from the seated viewers as well as his fellow competition stared at him.

"At last, the final competitor has arrived," the grader announced. There was a mix of cheers and applause, but Naruto could definitely notice the disapproval aimed at him from the older civilians sitting in the stands.

The grader turned his attention back towards the group as Naruto stood at the end, "Alright, all of you know the rules…fight until the other person gives up or dies, or whenever I decide when each match is over. Is everybody clear?"

Everyone present silently nodded as the grader turned around and looked towards the Hokage. He nodded towards Sarutobi signaling him to begin his speech. The Sandaime stood up and raised his hand to silence the restless crowd before he began to speak, "Good people of Konoha and honored guests, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the Chunin exam finals!"

Everybody cheered at the old man for a moment until he began to speak again. "The young genin you see before you in this arena are some of the finest young ninjas I have ever known. They have fought hard to be here today and each one of them is deserving of respect and admiration for their unwavering ambition and hard work!"

Naruto began to tune out the speech as he glanced around at his competition. Sasuke, Temari, Gaara, Kankuro, Shino, Shikamaru, and Neji. Oddly enough, Naruto didn't spot the Sound team member who had defeated Chouji. Although counting the number of people present, he realized that the boy's disappearance left the group with an even number.

'_His loss I guess…' _Naruto thought as he double checked the stadium doors.

A short distance away, Sasuke sighed,_ 'I hate speeches…those drones are just eating this up I bet. Almost none of these people are worthy of anything. I'm here to win…not to entertain some civilians.'_

Sasuke turned her attention towards Naruto who stood on the opposite end of the line. She didn't look long because she feared it would attract somebody's attention…worst of all his. Unfortunately, she was not fast enough because her eyes briefly locked with Naruto's.

There was an awkward moment as they locked gazes until he looked down and sighed. Sasuke turned her head towards the audience and sighed again,_ 'I really wish somebody could explain how I'm supposed to deal with this stuff…'_

"So without further ado, I present to you our finalists!" The Hokage finished. There was thunderous applause as he sat down next to the "Kazekage." The graders all began to convene and discuss security as the combatants stood there patiently. Several high ranking officials began to make speeches of their own which Naruto decided to tune out.

"**What is the point of announcing all this nonsense anyways? Isn't it already obvious that the finalists are here to fight?" **Kyuubi asked somewhat rhetorically.

Naruto shrugged inwardly at the question, _'It's probably for the civilians. Most of them don't really understand ninja ranks and procedures.'_

"**That's what I never really understood about these little villages in particular. If they live in a ninja village, wouldn't that make it necessary? There's no reason to live in a place like this unless they are ninjas." **Kyuubi continued.

'_I have no idea, Kyuubi. Most people just don't want to fight and probably feel safe here.' _

"**Safety is an illusion. You are never truly safe no matter what you may think. Danger is always one step ahead and death one step behind. Most people feel safest right before they die."**

'_I suppose you have a point there. Lately, I've really gotten the impression that I'm not the only one who hides in plain sight. To the average person this place looks innocent and prosperous, but I can definitely see the masks, the corruption, and the wolves hiding among the sheep. We're seriously going to have to do something about this Konoha lying to me situation.'_

"**All in due time, kit. It's good to see that you are becoming more aware of the dangers here, but you must remain patient if you wish to capture your prey. You have done well in recent months taking my lessons to heart. It brings me satisfaction to know that you are finally starting to think like I do."**

Naruto pondered the thought for a moment, _'Well for what it's worth, I probably would not have made it this far without you, Kyuubi. So thanks I guess. Although, there's something that's been bothering me lately. Why did Konoha hate my clan if we were so powerful and wed into the Senju line?'_

"**Your clan was nothing like this village. The fools in the Senju Clan were nothing but a bunch of idealistic, naïve peace-lovers. Your clan was much more practical than they were. Unfortunately, they were considered barbaric war mongers. Uzumakis thought differently than people do here. They lived for training, for fighting, for achieving glory. Everyone in Uzushio was required to undergo ninja training. The only civilians they had were veterans that couldn't fight anymore and children." **Kyuubi explained intently.

'_You know a lot about them I've gathered. So what else could you tell me about the clan?' _Naruto asked fascinated.

Kyuubi chuckled at his curiosity, **"Well for starters, kit, they were very clever and sarcastic. They took themselves seriously, but never too seriously. I found that rather unusual considering the power the clan had. Most of these other clans are pompous and stingy like the Uchihas or the Hyuugas. Uzumakis were for lack of a better word, wild. You embody a lot of their personality traits…even the ones involving messing with the minds of others and scaring people."**

Naruto cocked his head and laughed inwardly, _'I thought I got that from you?'_

"**Now you see why I liked your clan so much. They weren't half bad for a little tribe of mortals."**

'_What did they do exactly that threatened Konoha so much?' _Naruto asked curiously. The fox was silent for a long moment.

'_Kyuubi? You there?' _the blonde thought as he gazed around at the cheering crowd.

The demon sighed, **"That's a long story that you don't really have time to hear right now. Ask me again tomorrow or something."**

'_Why do I get the feeling you're avoiding the question? C'mon fox, enough with the secrets. I mean, I'm sure it can't be any worse than finding out Konoha destroyed my village…' _Naruto responded dryly.

"**There were a few things responsible for its destruction. Your clan's bloodline was one of the main reasons. I guess another reason was the supposed bloodthirsty expansion. Uzushio was beginning to expand its territory into Fire Country as well as other surrounding areas. Of course, Mito Uzumaki was the main catalyst." **Kyuubi explained distantly.

'_I don't suppose you are going to tell me about her?' _the blonde asked skeptically.

Kyuubi sighed, **"Listen, kit, there are some doors better left closed. For now, all I can tell you is she and Tobirama Senju killed each other which eventually led to Uzushio's fall and Konoha's attempted genocide of your clan."**

'_The Nidaime killed Mito? That seems…odd. There has to be more to it than that.' _Naruto noted.

"**There always is…"**

Naruto was drawn out of his thoughts as he turned to face the grader. The grader turned his attention back to the group and coughed, "The first match is between Naruto Uzumaki and Kankuro of Suna. There was a mix of applauds and awkward stares as the names of the combatants rang out.

"The rest of you have special seating reserved in the front row. Clear out for the match," the grader instructed apathetically. The finalists all leapt into the stands and took their appropriate seats. Kankuro shot an irritated look at Naruto, "You're not going to live to see the end of this day!"

Some of the audience cheered which caused a vein to bulge out of Naruto's forehead. He took a deep breath, _'Relax, Naruto. Don't get angry now. I'll show them all just who they're fucking with soon enough.'_

"**I highly recommend ripping out his throat and impaling him on that wall. This whelp has issued his final insult!"**

Just then, Kankuro looked into the audience and saw his sister shaking her head making stop gestures. He thought about it for a moment, _'I can't unveil my puppets in front of all these people. Not before the attack anyways. Damn it! This asshole is going to be the first person I go after when we get the order.'_

"Let the match begin!" the grader shouted. Much to everybody's complete and utter surprise, Kankuro raised his hand, "I surrender."

There was a loud chorus of boos from the audience as the sand shinobi took his seat next to Temari and Gaara. His sister gave him an approving nod and whispered, "You did the right thing. We're going to kill that kid later anyways."

Naruto was still standing in the arena with a perplexed look on his face, "Umm…well okay."

The grader spoke up in reassurance, "Winner by enemy forfeit, Naruto Uzumaki!" There wasn't very much cheering as the booing continued. Many of the people were pissed that they didn't get to see any action. As Naruto returned to the stand he shot a confused look at Kankuro who was glaring at him.

'_Something's not right about this, Kyuubi…why would he just give up?' _the blonde thought cautiously.

"**See the way his team is looking at you? They're plotting something." **the fox trailed off as he began to contemplate the situation. Meanwhile Naruto took his seat next to Sasuke. She flashed him a brief smile which he returned with a friendly nod.

'_Why is this so awkward? So we're just friends now…why do I feel so uneasy around her?' _the blonde thought as he focused his attention back to the grader.

"You got lucky, Uzumaki, not all of your competition is just going to surrender," Neji spoke up arrogantly, "your luck is about to run out when you finally come face to face with fate."

"Dude, how's about you shut the fuck up!" Temari shouted at Neji. The Hyuuga huffed, "What's it to you anyways?"

Sasuke shot a cold stare at the boy and cut in, "If you believe in fate, here's a prophecy for you…I am going to break your neck if we face each other."

There were a few awkward stares at the girl from the surrounding competitors and people in the audience within hearing distance. Neji brushed a hand through his hair and smirked, "We'll see won't we?"

"The next match is between Sasuke Uchiha and Temari of Suna!" Without wasting a moment, the Uchiha leapt from the stands into the center of the field. She had a distant look on her face as if she didn't really want to be there.

Temari decided to enter the stage more gracefully as she practically rode her fan down. The wind-mistress had a straight face, but on the inside she was slightly worried about facing the girl before her. Temari knew that Sasuke was definitely going to pose a challenge.

'_An Uchiha…well I'll just have to play safe with this bitch. There's no telling if that Kabuto guy's card was right or not.'_

Trying to downplay her nervousness, Temari instantly began to trash talk, "I was hoping I'd get a chance to fight you. Your attitude has really been a nuisance ever since we met!"

"For your sake, you better hope that you're not as weak as I think you are," Sasuke said darkly. This immediately caused the other girl to take insult.

"How dare you! I happen to be the strongest genin in Suna with the exception of my brother Gaara." Temari boasted.

Sasuke shook her head and smirked, "This fight won't last very long."

"Let the match begin!" The grader shouted.

Wasting no time, Temari instantly gave her fan a heavy swing sending a massive surge of wind at Sasuke. The Uchiha did a back flip and landed on the wall behind her. The audience cheered as Sasuke ran along the wall dodging fan swings from Temari.

It wasn't long before Temari found herself standing midfield. Taking advantage of the girl's position, Sasuke flashed through several hand seals as she continued to run the wall, "Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!"

(Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire)

A shower of fireballs began to assail Temari from all sides as Sasuke ran faster and faster. The Suna girl desperately whirled her fan to deflect the fire, sending waves of them rebounding in all directions exploding against the walls and some even close to the stands.

This sequence got the audience excited as people began to gasp and cheer. Sasuke then drew her sword and charged Temari. The Suna genin barely dodged an overhead swing from the sword as she dove to her right.

Wasting no time, Sasuke twirled into a horizontal arc right at Temari's throat. She narrowly managed to parry the attack by closing her fan.

Neji's eyes widened in surprise as he took a closer look at the sword, "That is an Anbu standard issue sword…how in the world did Uchiha manage to acquire one?"

Nobody responded to Neji as they continued to watch the battle intently. Naruto nodded in approval as he admired Sasuke's blade work, _'She's definitely skilled with that thing. She's already making quick work of Temari, and she's just getting started.'_

"**The match is boring if we already know who's going to win…" **Kyuubi yawned.

Naruto couldn't help but agree as he eyed Sasuke's furious sword work. Before long she had Temari backed into the wall. The Suna girl opened her fan and swung it as hard as she could in Sasuke's direction, but was shocked to see the girl disappear.

There was a thunderous chorus of gasps and cheers as they looked up just in time to see the Uchiha smash in front of Temari slicing her fan in half.

The genin was horrified as her fan was now rendered completely useless and barely managed to close it in time to parry another round of Sasuke's swings. Thinking fast, Temari swung the closed fan as hard as possible at Sasuke only to have it kicked out of her arm mid swing.

The heavy weapon landed a short distance away now leaving the Suna genin unarmed. Before she could do anything, Temari found a hard knee slam into her stomach sending her to the ground. Sasuke's eyes darkened as she raised the blade over her head ready to bring it down.

"The match is over! The winner is Uchiha Sasuke!" The grader announced just in time to keep Temari from getting killed. Gaara and Kankuro looked perplexed by her defeat and Naruto was slightly shocked that she nearly executed her opponent.

'_She seems a lot more powerful. I wonder why she isn't using any of her ninjutsus?'_

"**Strange…It seems like she's trying to hold back her aces for later matches. She barely had to do anything to defeat that girl."**

'_I guess she and I have more in common than I thought. It's a shame she doesn't like me the same way that I like her…' _the blonde trailed off.

"**Be thankful for that. She is untrustworthy and dangerous. Not to mention, you do not want to tie yourself to people here. This place is a ball and chain on your leg. How many times do I have to say this to you?! These insects that have attached themselves to you are nothing but parasitic whelps. You do not need to prove anything to these people except your power."**

'_I guess it was a stupid fantasy anyways. Not just that one but all of them.' _the jinchuuriki agreed. _'Not only that…I can't believe I actually wanted to be Hokage. Look at what great heroes they turned out to be.' _The blonde ended sarcastically.

Kyuubi sighed, **"Listen, kit, I've been thinking a lot about our talks lately and there's something I want to run by you."**

'_Since when do need my approval to offer your opinions?' _Naruto inwardly laughed.

"**How would you feel about leaving the village? Maybe go look for surviving clan members…or investigate the author of the letter?"** Kyuubi suggested coyly. Naruto shook his head, _'I don't know about that, Kyuubi…being a missing nin would suck. What would I even do? Where would I go? If I ever did agree to something like that, I'd at least want to plan it out.'_

"**But you would consider it right? All I am saying is after today you're not going to be able to hide anymore in this village. Konoha is going to consider you a threat and even I can't say what they might do."**

'_I mean don't get me wrong, I would love a fresh start. It would be nice being able to go somewhere I would be appreciated. I just can't leave everyone behind here…'_

"**This better not be about that stupid girl. Explain to me who exactly are you leaving behind? The Hokage who lied to you? Your sensei who gives zero fucks about you? Maybe your beloved 'friends' from the academy?" **Kyuubi growled in frustration.

'_Yeah I suppose you're right. It would be pretty cool being somewhere that I don't have a super bad reputation.'_

"**That being said…you can't forget what I told you. Don't go around trying to be all chivalrous and make yourself a public doormat."**

'_How exactly would I do that?' _Naruto asked amused as he looked towards the grader awaiting the next match to be announced.

**Remember back in Wave Country after you finished building that bridge?" **Kyuubi asked. This immediately caused the blonde to tilt his head in confusion.

'_Yeah, I remember…what's your point?' _he responded curiously.

"**Remember the way the villagers cheered and adored you for saving them? Of course you do. You wish all people saw you like that. Well, there's a sad tale I want to share with you about heroes."**

'_I never said I wanted to be hero, I just want to be liked.' _Naruto defended. There was a brief silence as the blonde awaited Kyuubi's response.

The grader announced the next match between Shino and Neji. As the two leapt into the arena, Kyuubi began to speak again, **"Do you wish to hear it?"**

'_I guess I don't really have a choice do I?' _he retorted.

"**You always have a choice, but there's no guarantee it will make a difference in the end." **Kyuubi answered cryptically. The blonde remained silent as Neji and Shino began their match.

As he watched them, Kyuubi began his tale:

**Once there was a man idolized by all. His friends, his family, his people enthralled.**

**He was shone in a golden light, as a hero of righteousness and furious might.**

**They saw him choose the noble way and followed him into a glorious new day.**

**A hero they called him, a guardian, a king. In his honor they would sing.**

**Yet as he grew in fortune and fame, the great hero's soul became forever stained. **

**Despite every victory he had ever claimed, when things went wrong he was the one blamed.**

**The masses would revel in his success, but one simple failure would cause their distress.**

**What happens when a hero falls? What happens when your heroes are mortal after all?**

**Hatred and pettiness swell among the meek as they lose their faith and turn their cheeks.**

**Betrayal and shame consume his pride as he begins to realize it was all just a lie. **

**Broken and alone he looks back in pain, knowing every feat done for them was all in vain.**

**For how can they be expected to understand reality? To realize that life is one big tragedy.**

**There are no more illusions, no more ideals; the hero finally understands what is truly real.**

**To be a true hero is to be alone, to be a true hero is to be unknown.**

'_Wow…that's a pretty deep poem there, Kyuubi.' _Naruto noted. He watched uninterested as Neji finally defeated Shino who was carried away by medic nin. The Hyuuga shot a dirty look towards Naruto and smirked.

"**I assume you know the moral of that story right?" **Kyuubi asked hopeful.

Naruto shrugged, _'That was a pretty depressing story…'_

"**Stop avoiding it, and tell me what you learned from that story!" **the fox growled irritated. Naruto sighed, _'I guess the moral of the story is I can't have friends?'_

"**Close enough. What I wanted you to get out of it is a better understanding about the duality of fame. You must understand that solitude is the only thing in your future. The sooner you come to terms with it, the sooner you will reach your true potential." **

'_Well at this rate, I'll be alone no matter what I do.' _Naruto sighed.

**"For the record kit, a member of your clan wrote that. I vaguely remember his name...he was Mito's father I believe. I suppose that's why nobody remembers him. He wrote that poem on this death bed...to reflect what a wasted life he had."** Kyuubi noted.

_'What's the point of being a hero at all then?'_ Naruto asked. Kyuubi laughed at his question, **"Now you see what I was talking about. My point is simple. If you pursue that path, you eventually fall and end up with nothing. Those who strive for glory and power on the other hand...well they're the ones who are truly remembered. Do it for nobody else. Do it for yourself!"**

Sasuke kept stealing glances at the boy sitting next to her as he stared vacantly at the ground. _'What's going on in his head? Is he upset about what I said earlier? No, Naruto doesn't like me like that anyways…does he?'_

For reasons she could not explain, Sasuke placed one of her hands on Naruto's leg. He immediately snapped out of his inner thoughts and glanced over at her confused. By then she had her arms crossed and was looking away.

'_Did she just touch me?' _Naruto thought bewildered.

Sasuke gave him a questioning look and whispered, "Why are you staring at me, Naruto?"

He looked away embarrassed as a slight blush covered his cheeks, "I wasn't staring, I just wanted to know why did you touch my leg?"

She faked ignorance, "I have no idea what you're talking about. You have something you want to say to me, Uzumaki?"

"I was about to ask you the same question, Uchiha," he whispered softly.

After an awkward silence of staring at each other, the next match was called out. "Shikamaru Nara vs. Gaara of Suna!"

Shikamaru reluctantly jumped on the field as Gaara appeared out of sand on the ground below. Naruto's attention focused onto the match, _'I wonder how Shikamaru will fare against that Gaara guy. He's obviously no pushover.'_

"Let the match begin!" The grader shouted somewhat enthusiastically. It wasn't long before Shikamaru raised his hand, "I give up. This is all too troublesome for me to deal with."

A loud chorus of boos followed as the shadow user left the arena leaving an angry looking Gaara glaring at the grader. "Winner by enemy forfeit, Gaara of Suna!"

Just then, Naruto felt a finger trace his lower back causing him to shiver. He jerked his eyes over to try and catch Sasuke in the act, but she had her arms crossed with a faint smile. _'Is she? Is she messing with me?' _Naruto wondered.

"Sasuke, what the hell are you doing?" he asked quietly cupping one of his hands. She gave him a sly smile and shrugged, "Watching the finals. Why do you keep looking over here?"

"I just can't keep my eyes off of you," he joked hoping to catch her by surprise. She immediately blushed crimson and turned away faking a cough.

'_Did he really just say that to me?! No, he was joking , Sasuke, don't take that out of context.' _The raven haired beauty's inner mind was spinning.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to take a quick ten minute break in preparation for the next round, the semi-final matches!" the grader announced.

Much to Sasuke's relief, she instantly jumped up and took off to find a more private location. Several people came down to the competitor's stand to talk to Naruto, but he wasn't really listening to them as he made note of where Sasuke was going.

"Hey, what's up Naruto? I'm looking forward to seeing you in action," Ino said a bit too promiscuously for his tastes.

"YOSH! I AM EAGER TO WITNESS YOUR GLORIOUS YOUTHFUL BATTLE IN THE SEMI-FINAL ROUND NARUTO!" Lee shouted enthusiastically.

Naruto nodded his head, "Umm, thanks Lee. Would you guys mind giving me a minute to get some air?"

"There's plenty of air out here…" Ino stated matter of fact.

"He means he wants to be alone," Kiba cut in out of nowhere. Naruto nodded in agreement, "I'll talk to you guys in a little bit."

"**At least you trained the pup right." **Kyuubi laughed.

Without wasting another moment, he took off in Sasuke's direction. Ino cocked her head in confusion, "Needs air…yeah right!"

"He needs to recharge his youth!" Lee responded.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Several rooftops away on an isolated balcony, Sasuke was leaning against a railing with a troubled look on her face. _'What was that back there?! What was I thinking?! I need to get away from him before I do something stupid. I can't afford getting close to him…'_

"Sasuke, what was that back there?" Naruto asked as he landed on the balcony. The girl looked away flustered and bit her lip.

"C'mon, Sasuke, you can talk to me. We're friends after all." Naruto reassured. She looked over at him with a slightly downcast stare.

There was an awkward silence until she finally sighed, "Why are you here, Naruto? You don't need to keep checking up on me, I'm fine."

"Well can you at least explain to me why you kept touching me back there?" He asked.

She glared at him annoyed, "Maybe you should explain why you're here."

"I uhh, don't know," the blonde answered awkwardly.

Sasuke crossed her arms and raised a brow, "You don't know?"

Naruto shook his head in frustration at the girl, "I guess I came here for the same reason why you keep playing games with me."

Her eyes shot open in shock, "I have no idea what you're talking about! I'm not the one who's playing games!"

"Really?! Could have fooled me, Sasuke-chan. You got something you want to say to me?" He shot back.

"What do you want from me, huh?! You want me to be your little cheerleader and suck up to everything you do?! Stop acting like you're better than me, Naruto!" Sasuke countered.

"So that's what this is all about huh?! You think this is some sort of competition? What is your problem with me? I mean are we friends, rivals, or…what?" he sighed.

Sasuke couldn't hold it in any longer and pounced on the blonde boy slamming him into a wall.

Before Naruto could even comprehend the situation, Sasuke immediately pressed her lips against his. He was completely caught off guard as the girl forced her tongue in his mouth with passionate brutality.

At first he was shocked, but it didn't take long before he started kissing her back with equal desire. Both were trying to dominate the kiss as they practically wrestled back and forth throwing each other against the wall and the balcony floor. Finally, Sasuke broke the kiss for air. She had a confused look on her face as if she didn't know where she was.

She immediately backed off and looked away in embarrassment, "Oh no…"

Naruto could barely believe that the girl just kissed him, but the look on her face was starting to trouble him. There was an awkward silence between the two as they both stared at each other bewildered.

"Sasuke, what was th-" Naruto finally spoke up, but was interrupted as she covered his mouth with her hand. "Don't speak, just listen. I thought I could restrain my emotions, but I can't around you."

The boy gave her a quizzical look, "Restrain your emotions? Are you saying that you…like me?!"

"I won't lie, Naruto. The thought's been in my head ever since you kissed me a couple months ago," Sasuke answered.

He could barely believe what was happening and blankly stared at the flustered girl in disbelief. She began to look worried at his lack of a response and bit her lip nervously, "Naruto…"

"So that's why you act so weird around me all the time?" he asked. She sat down against the wall and covered her face in embarrassment, "I shouldn't have said that. Damn it!"

"What's wrong, Sasuke? I…like you too," he stated shyly. This instantly caused her to jerk her head at him with wide eyes, "You do? Damn, why did I do this to myself?"

Naruto raised a brow curiously, "I don't see what the problem is, Sasuke. I mean if you and I like each other, maybe we can…be together?"

She sighed in frustration, "Listen, Naruto, forget what just happened okay? I do like you, but we can't be together."

"Why not? You're not making any sense here, Sasuke. First you pounce me, nearly choking me to death with your tongue and now you're telling me to get lost? What's going on?" Naruto asked.

"It's not you…I just can't afford to be with anyone until I avenge my clan by killing my brother Itachi. I don't expect you to understand…" she said distantly.

"I can help you, Sasuke. We don't have to be alone. You and I could avenge them together," he tried reassuring her but to no avail.

She started pacing back and forth and shook her head in a panic, "Only the strong survive, Naruto. Being with you would make us both weak. Not to mention, I won't let anything get in between me and my revenge…even you!"

"Listen, Sasuke, I know you feel like you have to be strong and do this alone, and I have no doubt that you can…but you can't let me be alone. I've been alone my entire life and I'm not about to let one of the only people in this village I care about throw away our feelings out of some petty vanity to suffer alone."

"**Forget this bitch, kit. This is a waste of your time." **Kyuubi growled annoyed.

"Petty vanity?! Fuck you, Naruto! You don't understand my pain. You never had a family, but I did. I was a little girl cowering in the shadow of my brother covered in blood. My father was right! Wasting my time with you or some pathetic relationship would only hinder my progress. I must follow my brother's path in order to avenge my clan! I am the last Uchiha, and this is more important to me than whatever I may have felt for you." Sasuke ranted hysterically. Her cursed seal and Sharingan both activated as she clenched her fists.

Naruto kept a brave face, but on the inside he felt as if his heart had just been stabbed by a kunai. He worriedly looked the girl over, "You've been using that cursed seal, haven't you? It's making you say these things, Sasuke. You don't really mean that…"

"I meant every word of it! Put the thought out of your head, Naruto. This was just a moment of weakness that I wish I could take back," she answered coldly.

"Then why the hell did you kiss me?! What kind of sick game are you playing at?! If you had no intentions of being with me then why did you drag this out for so long?!" Naruto demanded.

She bit her lip and huffed, "It was a mistake. One I intend on putting behind me and ignoring for the rest of my life."

There was an awkward dead silence as Naruto could feel his blood pressure rising tremendously. His feelings of disbelief and sadness were soon replaced with rage.

'_FUCK! So this is all I had hoped for?! An angry girl who sees me as a waste of her time?! A MISTAKE?!' _he thought furiously.

Kyuubi almost delighted in the boy's anger and decided to fuel it, **"She never cared about you, kit. This was all just some sick mind game of hers that she used to gain influence over you. She knows you are stronger than her, so she manipulated you into liking her. What else could you expect from an Uchiha?"**

He shook his head in frustration and punched a hole in the nearby wall, "I wish you could take it back too! I thought you were different than the people of this village…guess I was fucking wrong! You're just a selfish, manipulative bitch! I'm done with you, Sasuke. I want you out of my life forever!"

"After the finals, I'm quitting this team! Go away and don't ever speak to me again! I won't miss you!" Sasuke shot back.

"Enjoy being miserable, Uchiha," Naruto said apathetically leaving just in time to get the last word. The boy left to head back to the finals leaving the emotional girl alone. After he left Sasuke banged her head against the wall, _'FUCK MY LIFE! I hate myself!'_

Meanwhile as Naruto neared the arena he was yelling in his head, _'I guess you were right again, Kyuubi. Well if that's the way she wants it, then fuck her! I can't believe I let myself get fooled into thinking somebody could actually give a fuck about me."_

"**I guess you're out of reasons to stay in Konoha. I say give the crowd a show to remember you by HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" **Kyuubi suggested gleefully before erupting into maniacal laughter.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naruto made it back just in time hear the announcement, "For the first semi-final battle, we have the esteemed prodigy of the Hyuuga Clan, Neji!"

The audience exploded in cheers as the brunette boy leapt stylishly into the arena with a smug look on his face. "His opponent is none other than the infamous Uzumaki genin of Konoha, Naruto!"

Everyone's gaze shifted to the boy as he dove centerfield smashing a considerable amount of earth beneath his feet. There was a loud chorus of gasps as the dust cleared with Naruto standing centerfield.

Many of the younger people in the audience started to cheer. "LET THE MATCH BEGIN!"

Neither genin made any movements as they stared each other down. Neji was the first to break to silence as he waved a hand through his hair, "You're not intimidating, dead-last. I'm sure you probably think your jutsus are going to help you against me, but you'd be wrong. I'm probably the worst opponent somebody like you could have gone against."

Naruto didn't even blink as he seared in fury, _'I'm so sick of people like this. After today, nobody is ever going to talk down to me again!'_

"**Destroy this insect and erase his worthless life!" **Kyuubi laughed maniacally.

Naruto started losing his sense of sight and hearing as he tuned the world out around him. His vision went red and flashed through the scene between him and Sasuke again. It was a narcotic feeling as his blood felt like it was boiling.

"Hmm? What's the matter, dead-last? Are you finally starting to understand that you cannot possibly win this fight?" Neji mocked. The audience hung on every word as they anxiously awaited the action to start. In the stands, Hinata bit her lip and looked worried, _'C'mon, Naruto-kun, I know you can do this.'_

The Hokage had a deeply concerned look on his face, _'Oh no, something's wrong with Naruto. Please don't use your bloodlines…not in front of all these people.'_

Kakashi and Yamato were both standing together in the stands and traded worried glances fearing what was about to happen.

Sasuke was finally making her way back to her seat and caught a lot of curious glances as she sat down. She pretended they were all invisible as she glared at the competitors below.

Getting impatient and irritated at Naruto's unresponsiveness, Neji activated his Byakugan and charged the genin and attempted to strike his heart. There was a loud chorus of gasps and shrieks when the attack hit.

Everybody watched intensely as Naruto still didn't move.

Neji backed away in confusion waiting to see if his attack was successful. After a few more seconds the blonde fell to his knees. His face was still blank as he appeared to barely be breathing.

The Hyuuga smiled a smug look, "I guess you were all talk after all. So much for you winning the finals. Everybody in the audience had completely mixed reactions. Some of the older audience cheered for Neji while the younger ones were shocked by the way the event unfolded.

Gaara's face was visibly shocked as he continued staring at the blonde, "He's still alive. What is he doing?" The others in the stands all looked at him completely bewildered by his outburst. Sasuke bit her lip, _'What the hell is that fucking jerk doing?'_

Neji turned to face the announcer, "He's dead, so you can just go ahead and declare me the victor."

Finally, snapping back to reality, Naruto immediately tasted blood in his mouth and a lot of pain in his chest. _'What the fuck?! What just happened?!'_

"**I've been screaming at you for the past minute! GET THE FUCK UP NOW!"**

Naruto immediately stood up much to Neji's complete shock and spit a mouthful of blood in the Hyuuga's face.

Neji backed away horrified, "That strike hit your heart, you should be dead!"

In the audience, Hiashi's eyes widened, _'He must have some kind of protection against that as a jinchuuriki. Nobody survives one of those.' _

This sequence frightened many of the older people in the audience who started noting it as proof that he wasn't human.

"It's such a shame I got blood all over your jacket, how's about I wash it off. Suiton: Mizurappa

(Water Release: Wild Water Wave)" Naruto spit a massive surge of water from his mouth mixed with some of his blood. Neji barely had time to dodge the full force of the attack but got soaked as he smashed into a wall.

"Neji!" a worried Tenten shouted. Everybody else from Rookie Nine, and Lee were dead silent at the scene. Hinata, who was sitting next to her father and sister was more worried for Naruto, _'What is going on with you, Naruto-kun? Please be careful.'_

"Father, how did that boy survive cousin Neji's hit?" a perplexed Hanabi asked. Hiashi looked at her and shrugged, "Neji must have missed his heart. That's the only logical explanation."

'_Neji never misses…how did Naruto survive that?' _Hinata thought desperately worried for her crush. Hanabi shook her head, "You sure about that, father? I've never seen Neji miss."

"Be silent and watch," he commanded without taking his eyes off the match. _'Naruto only survived that because he has Kyuubi.' _Hiashi concluded internally.

Neji leapt to his feet and instantly switched into a serious fighting stance, "I see you've got some surprises up your sleeve. Too bad they won't matter for very long." Neji charged Naruto again and furiously attempted to assail his tenketsu points.

None of his attacks even managed to hit as Naruto dodged at insane speed. Neji reared back to hit the boy's shoulder, but received a hard kick into his solar plexus. He gasped for air and fell over in agony. Neji writhed in pain as he rolled over and stood back up. Naruto calmly walked towards the Hyuuga and kicked him in the face knocking him back.

Immediately afterwards, he sent a powerful punch towards the Hyuuga, but Neji had finally regained his breath and parried with a swift strike to his arm. Unfortunately, Neji's arm was unable to reach as Naruto wrapped a leg over it and twisted him in a flip. As they twisted, Naruto's fist smashed Neji in the jaw. The acrobatic display caused the audience to cheer as Neji landed on his side.

"I guess you can fight after all. Tell me, why in the world would a sannin like, Jiraiya train somebody like you?" Neji asked as he leapt to his feet again. The audience began whispering excitably awaiting Naruto's answer.

"We're not here to talk, we're here to fight," the blonde answered sadistically as he flashed through a series of hand seals, "Futon: Kami Oroshi (Wind Release: Godly Wind from the Mountain)"

Neji focused chakra into his feet right as a massive surge of wind came his way. Several people in the audience who were standing got launched to the ground or against walls as the deafening gust of wind howled across the field.

Right after his attack launched, Naruto immediately flashed through another series of hand seals, "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)" As the fireball made its way closer towards a struggling Neji, it quadrupled in size and exploded in a glorious inferno.

Neji barely had time to use his Eight Trigrams Palms to ward the explosion. The aftermath was brutal causing many people in the audience to fear for their safety.

Naruto could see several jounin counter his attack from hitting part the audience. Kyuubi found the whole situation hilarious and laughed in the boy's head as the inferno blazed. After the blast subsided, a scarred and slightly burnt Neji was panting heavily.

Asuma shook his head at the sight, _'I never taught him that technique. I swear that kid is getting powerful.'_

Everybody had shocked reactions except for Sasuke who didn't seem all that impressed. Temari on the other hand clenched her fist with a hint of jealousy at the power of Naruto's wind jutsu.

"Oh you're still alive? Well fate must want you to suffer horribly then," Naruto laughed. His behavior was frightening many people in the audience, even his friends. The civilians were terrified and Naruto couldn't help but enjoy their fear.

Neji coughed, "You may be fast, and your jutsus may be powerful, but there is no protection against this!"

Hiashi's eyes widened in surprise at Neji's stance. Naruto shook his head and laughed, "So serious aren't you? Let's see this super attack of yours. I'll even let you hit me hahaha!"

"**Are you really going to let him hit your tenketsu points?" **Kyuubi asked confused.

'_Oh yes, I'm going to show him that he never had a chance from the beginning.'_

"**Sounds like a waste of time…stop playing with this fool and kill him already!" **Kyuubi demanded impatiently.

'_Why? I'm going to savor breaking him in front of all these people. First his spirit and then his body!'_

"**YES!" **Kyuubi roared in approval. Meanwhile Neji was beginning his attack, "Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!" (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms). The Hyuuga began to assail Naruto's tenketsu points with insatiable fury.

"Why didn't Naruto dodge that if he's so fast?" Ino asked Asuma. The jounin shrugged, "I honestly have no idea what is going through Naruto's head right now."

Sasuke found the whole match to be ridiculous since she knew Naruto could have ended it at any time he wanted_. 'Why is he dragging this out so much? Why is he so happy too?! I thought he was upset about what happened…'_

Naruto felt a lot of pain as Neji hit each one of his Tenketsu points until finally knocking him down. "It's over…your arrogance caught you off guard allowing me to close your chakra flow. Even if you are strong, you're a fool and fate has still proclaimed me the winner. No variable can change the outcome of fate." Neji ranted.

"**Give him a taste of my chakra!" **Kyuubi laughed. The grader was about to announce Neji the winner but stopped when he saw Naruto slowly standing up.

Neji's jaw dropped in disbelief as Naruto began to glow with radiant blood red chakra. Kakashi, Yamato, the Hokage, and many of the older ninjas were all horrified at the sight of Kyuubi's evil chakra. Several civilians began to panic at the sight.

As Naruto channeled more power, Neji could see his Tenketsu points with his Byakugan reopening from a red swirl on Naruto's stomach. He nearly freaked when it twisted into the shape of a fox.

"That's impossible…" Neji stated in disbelief. Gaara felt his heart race at the sight and could feel Shukaku stirring within him as if recognizing the power. Naruto started walking slowly towards Neji with an evil grin plastered over his face. The chakra cloak began to intensify as Naruto's eyes turned blood red and formed slits.

The Hyuuga was frozen in fear as he stared into Naruto's now demonic red eyes. "What are you?!" Neji demanded fearfully.

"Now that's a good question. I am the embodiment of hatred, terror, and destruction. I am the teeth in the darkness, the talons in the night, and the monster in your nightmares," Naruto answered as menacingly as possible.

The Hokage began to get worried at the sight and looked over at several of his Anbu guards ready to issue a command if necessary. By this point the older civilians were fully convinced he was Kyuubi in the flesh. Many jounin began get nervous as Naruto's red chakra intensified.

"You were toying with me the entire fight?" Neji asked rhetorically knowing he was fucked. His will to fight instantly diminished as he knew there was nothing else he could do.

Naruto laughed, "Of course I was. Now that your spirit is broken…time to break your body!"

"What?!" Neji barely asked before a super powerful punch slammed into his face. He went flying into a wall and fell over in rubble. "NEJI!" Tenten exclaimed worriedly.

"Neji can't hear you, he's getting pain rehabilitation," Naruto chuckled cruelly at the girl. She was too afraid to respond as Naruto picked up Neji and threw him into the middle of the arena.

"**Make this whelp suffer indignities!" **Kyuubi rejoiced.

'_Gladly.' _Naruto smiled as he began to kick Neji and stomp on him. The audience was dead silent as Naruto brutally beat the Hyuuga.

Neji was soaked in blood by the time Naruto stopped. He didn't attempt to get up as he lied waiting for the match to end.

"GET UP BITCH!" Naruto roared as he lifted Neji by his neck and held him in the air. The Hyuuga was completely limp in Naruto's grip and was near unconsciousness. Naruto head butted the boy repeatedly and tightened his grip into a choke. Neji gasped for air and tried to raise his hand to surrender. Unfortunately, Naruto noticed the gesture and promptly broke Neji's arm.

He screamed in pain and began to convulse causing Naruto to laugh again, "I'm not hurting you am I?"

The jinchuuriki charged a massive Rasengan in his free hand.

The Hokage made eye contact with the grader and gave him stop gestures to prevent Naruto from killing Neji. "Winner of this match is Naruto Uzumaki!" The grader announced just in time to save Neji from getting impaled by a massive red Rasengan.

The blonde glared at the grader menacingly with his blood red demonic eyes and dropped Neji on the ground. There was an awkward silence as Naruto stood over the defeated Hyuuga. The blood red rasengan dissipated shortly afterwards as Naruto started walking towards the grader. This caused every Anbu within the stands to take one step closer towards the edge.

The grader looked extremely nervous as Naruto walked towards him slowly with a demonic stare. The blood red chakra began to recede as Naruto's eyes returned to their original state. Just as he reached the man, Naruto was back to normal. Everybody present watched anxiously wondering what was about to happen.

Naruto leaned in and whispered something indecipherable to the grader which caused him to go pale. He immediately backed away and bowed his head, "Of course…forgive me."

This whole event caused widespread gossip as Naruto left the arena and returned to his seat. Hundreds of eyes were upon him as the blonde apathetically sat and stared into the distance.

The awkwardness was soon replaced as the announcing grader regained his composure, "The next match is between Sasuke Uchiha and Gaara of Suna!"

Many people cheered as the two combatants made their way into the arena. Naruto glared at the two below…his competition. One of them would face him in the final match. Part of him was hoping Sasuke would lose so he wouldn't have to deal with her, but another part wanted to fight her so he could take out his anger on the foolish girl.

"Umm Naruto-kun…A-are you okay?" A rather timid Hinata asked. Naruto turned to look at the girl surprised she was speaking to him.

He nodded his head, "I'm fine." His straight uninterested answer seemed to intimidate the girl a bit.

"O-oh…w-well I just wanted to thank you for beating Neji for me. I-it really m-meant a lot," Hinata changed the subject hoping to lighten Naruto's dark mood. The blonde inwardly sighed, _'What does this girl want from me?'_

"**Who cares…just give her a few honeyed words and send the whelp on her way."**

"You're welcome, Hinata-chan. I'm glad I wasn't the only person who wanted to shut Neji up," Naruto replied with a softer and less serious tone of voice. Hinata seemed relieved by his lightening mood and tried pressing him further, "I-I am s-sorry you're unhappy r-right now N-Naruto-kun. I-I jus-just want you to know that even if n-nobody else thinks so…I think you're a g-great guy."

Naruto looked completely bewildered by her compliment, _'I just terrified half the village and nearly beat some guy to death and she says I'm a great guy?! Kyuubi, help me out here. What the hell does that mean?'_

Kyuubi laughed at first and then went dead serious, **"Aw that's so cute. Tell her you think she's a great girl. What do I look like a doctor? I don't know or care what this little girl thinks."**

The blonde cocked his head in confusion, _'What? I'm serious here fox…why is she really here?'_

Kyuubi didn't answer much to Naruto's annoyance which left him awkwardly silent with Hinata who seemed to be blushing crimson with embarrassment. "Well thanks, Hinata-chan, I'm glad at least somebody around here likes me."

She looked at him confused, "W-what makes you say that? A a lot of p-people like you. Y-you h-had me w-worried down t-there…"

Naruto crossed his arms and gave her a doubtful look, "If you say so…well anyways, the match is about to start. You can sit down over here if you want."

Hinata blushed scarlet at the thought of sitting next to Naruto. She timidly stood there unsure of what to do until the blonde reached behind her and nudged the girl into the vacant seat next to him. Many surrounding people were staring at this scene in fascination gossiping like crazy.

Thankfully, none of them seemed to hear the conversation, but Naruto was starting to get annoyed by all the attention. Hiashi looked over in horror at the sight of his daughter sitting next to Naruto. He shook his head, "What on earth is that girl doing right now with him?"

Hanabi glanced over and giggled at her father, "Maybe you could go ask him. I'm sure Naruto would love to get scolded by you right now father." The elder Hyuuga thought the situation over for a moment. After Naruto's bloodthirsty display earlier, it probably wasn't in anybody's best interest to cross him. Although Hiashi still couldn't understand why his daughter was talking to Naruto right after the boy scared half the village.

Sasuke and Gaara were both patiently waiting in the arena as the grader began to announce the semi-final round. Sasuke tuned him out as she glanced up at the audience. Her eyes lit up in rage when she spotted Hinata sitting next to Naruto.

'_WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING THERE?! Oh that's got to be the most petty thing I've ever seen you do Naruto.' _Sasuke thought furiously as she broiled in envy. Naruto was busy staring at Gaara and didn't notice as Sasuke sent Hinata a hateful kill gesture. The Hyuuga fearfully clung to Naruto causing him to glance over in confusion, "What are you doing Hinata?"

It didn't take long before he caught Sasuke's gaze. "Did something happen between you two, Naruto-kun…S-sasuke l-looks rather unstable," Hinata stuttered.

"Let the match begin!"

Naruto shrugged, "I don't care what the bitch thinks...I'm done letting her try to control me."

This caused Hinata to give him a curious glance. She didn't know what to say and awkwardly stared at the blonde boy as he watched the battle below.

Cheers erupted from the audience as the Uchiha drew her sword and hissed menacingly, "Prepare to die!"

Naruto got a chill from her eerie behavior as the Uchiha charged Gaara. To nobody's surprise, Gaara's sand blocked the initial flurry of sword strikes from the Uchiha's blade. Gaara remained still emotionless as he sized up his opponent.

His siblings traded approving glances as they watched the battle unfold. "I hope Gaara kills both of those Konoha kids…" Temari spoke up.

Kankuro nodded, "It's going to have to be him. I doubt either one of us could kill them. They're definitely as strong as that Kabuto guy said. Too strong to be genin…I get the feeling Konoha is on to us."

Naruto's hearing barely managed to pick up the two's conversation. He looked at them seriously,_ 'On to them? What are they planning?'_

"**Hmm…this might just work out in your favor after all," **Kyuubi noted optimistically.

'_How do you figure? What do you think they're talking about?' _Naruto asked confused.

Kyuubi chuckled, **"Don't worry about it right now. I need to think for a little bit." **

Naruto knew he wasn't going to get anything else out of the fox so he just sighed.

Meanwhile back in the arena, Sasuke had gone through a variety of fire and lightning jutsus to break Gaara's defenses. She managed to land several blows past his defenses, but the sand genin was still holding out well.

Gaara chose to go on the offensive as waves of sand tried to engulf Sasuke as she repeatedly leapt around the battleground. The speed of her acrobatic maneuvering greatly impressed many people in the audience. Just then, Gaara began to get angry, "WHY WON'T YOU DIE!?"

Sand began to surround one of his arms and turned it into a massive sand claw. The boy finally managed to land a hard hit on Sasuke grabbed her. He slammed the raven haired beauty against the wall repeatedly as he began to compress his sand squeezing her hard.

Sasuke grimaced in pain as she felt her bones about to crack. _'Now's no time to be picky! I need to up my arsenal to take him down. This guy is no joke.' _She thought as her Sharingan activated and a cloak of lightning began to radiate from her skin.

She managed to break free of Gaara's grip much to his surprise and dove to reach her sword which had been dropped nearby. Before Gaara could even blink, Sasuke was practically teleporting around the arena at insane speeds as she arced attacks at him from all sides. Several made it past his defense which caused him to start bleeding profusely.

Gaara began to panic at the sight of his own blood and recalled all of his sand into a hard shelled ball around him. Sasuke ceased her attacks momentarily wondering what to do about it. _'I'm going to need something heavy to break through that…maybe chidori.'_

Sasuke backed away much to everyone's surprised and then ran up the wall. She sheathed her sword as she began to flash the hand seals for Chidori. A surge of electricity chirped around her open hand as she held steady in place. She then charged the ball full speed and smashed through it with Chidori impaling Gaara within.

Everybody was in awe of the graceful display and even Gaara's siblings could barely believe what they were watching. Sasuke tried to pull her arm out of the sand sphere but it was stuck. She pulled harder with full momentum and finally managed to free her arm. She looked at the hole in the sand shell curiously wondering what kind of condition Gaara was in. A loud growl could be heard from within the shell which terrified all of the sand Shinobi present. Temari looked towards her instructor who had a concerned look on his face not too far away.

Sasuke drew her sword again and channeled lightning over the blade. She got into an execution stance as she thrust the sword into the open hole. Much to her shock, a sand claw shot out and disarmed her. She watched the sand claw cautiously as it retreated back into the shell. The sand began to fall to the ground and soon revealed a beastly demonic looking Gaara whose arm and one of his eyes were changed.

Temari ran over to her instructor, "Sensei, he's not following the plan, what do we do?"

"Stand by, Temari…the attack is bound to start soon," he whispered. Much to both of their utter disbelief, Naruto was standing behind them.

"What attack?!"

Before they could answer, the "Kazekage" and his guard leapt from their seats followed by a huge explosion.

Several jounin from sound and sand began executing random Konoha Shinobi. This caused widespread chaos and panic to erupt amongst the stands as the sounds of fighting could be heard all around. Temari sent Naruto a smug look, "Looks like Gaara's going to kill your little friend there and your stupid village."

Naruto gave her a careless glance as he looked towards Sasuke worried. She seemed to be doing alright, but Gaara appeared to be on the move. Much to Naruto's worry, she began to chase after him.

'_Shit…she needs my help with him!' _the boy thought frantically.

The suna siblings began to chase after Gaara and Sasuke leaving Naruto to face down their instructor. The man drew a kunai and growled, "You're strong for a genin, but today you're going to have to die! MEN! ATTACK THE BLONDE KID!"

Just then a wave of sound and sand troops surrounded the jinchuuriki. Naruto looked at them annoyed, "Get out of my way! I don't give a fuck about this village, now move!"

"You're powerful and therefore dangerous…the Kazekage will not allow your survival."

Naruto took a deep breath, "I'll see you in hell then, Yoton: Yokai no Jutsu! (Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique)"

A fiery inferno launched from Naruto's mouth incinerating all of his surrounding foes. They all melted from the attack and gave Naruto a window to take off. He made it halfway through the village towards Sasuke's direction killing random jounin along the way.

As he stopped on a rooftop to survey their trail, he was intercepted by Kakashi and Yamato much to his surprise. They had looks of desperation about them.

"Naruto wait! Listen, the Hokage needs our help right now. He's battling Orochimaru in some kind of force field!" Yamato explained.

Naruto shook his head, "What do you expect me to do about it? I have to help Sasuke right now!"

"She'll be fine, Naruto trust me. Plus, I don't like the idea of you going solo around a battlefield right now. Come regroup with the main attack force and back up the Hokage. We can look for Sasuke later," Kakashi cut in.

The blonde reluctantly nodded his head in agreement, "Alright fine…but I don't like the idea of her fighting that…guy by herself. Hey wait a minute?! Did you say Orochimaru is fighting the Hokage?! He's the snake guy that bit Sasuke in the first place!"

"C'mon, Naruto standing here discussing things won't save either one of them faster!" Yamato announced impatiently. Without another word, Naruto followed the two jounin to the thickest part of the fighting around the barrier. Naruto noticed four people at each corner sustaining the defense as the two foes faced off inside.

Several nearby jounin almost looked relieved when Naruto showed up. "Oh good it's the fox kid! Have him do something about the barrier!" a purple haired woman shouted as she slew two approaching sound nin.

Naruto looked at the barrier perplexed, "What exactly do you expect me to do to it?"

"Use your lava and steam Naruto. It might be enough to break through," Yamato recommended. Naruto nodded his head in acknowledgement as he leapt onto a nearby roof. A vast majority of the surrounding Konoha forces watched in awe as he spit a colossal spew of magma over the barrier. It didn't appear to have any effect other than terrifying many of the enemy ninjas.

Seeing him as a major threat, a platoon of enemy jounin turned their attention towards him and began attacking. Naruto dove off the rooftop and landed on the ground. He flashed through a series of hand seals, "Mokuton: Sashiki no Jutsu (Wood Release: Cutting Technique)"

Naruto launched a projectile of wooden spikes from his arms impaling many surrounding foes. The spikes began to grow into trees as they imbedded enemies against the walls. Naruto channeled his chakra causing them to extend and stretch around them. Everybody around him was in awe at the sight of legendary Mokuton.

Several jounin began to cheer as Naruto dispatched more enemies. Turning his attention back towards the barrier, Naruto leapt onto another adjacent rooftop and took a deep breath, "Futton: Komu no Jutsu (Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique)!"

Naruto unleashed a torrent of boiling mist from his mouth blowing it onto the barrier. The steam from the attack devastated everything surrounding the barrier, but was still unsuccessful in getting through.

'_Fuck I don't have time to prod this thing to save that lying old man! I have to go protect Sasuke!'_

"**Screw that little bitch. After everything she's done to you…after everything we've discussed and you still want to go crawling back to her?! She doesn't need your help, she doesn't want it! You're nobody's god damned hero! You're my fucking jinchuuriki! Now if you want to break the fucking barrier you're going to need MY POWER!" **Kyuubi shouted wrathfully.

'_Fine, give me your fucking power, Kyuubi! As much as you can!' _Naruto shouted back.

"**You can't control it…but I can! Let me do it!" **Kyuubi demanded.

The jinchuuriki gave in to his bijou's reqest, _'The only condition is you have to save Sasuke too…'_

"**AGHHHHHHHHHH! FINE!"**

Naruto was taken aback by the fox's rage but soon found himself engulfed in blood red chakra. He felt strange as he began to lose his senses and soon found himself no longer in control of his own body.

"**I'm giving you my tails. Let's see if your body can handle five!" **Naruto's body began to change appearance as his fourth and fifth tails formed. Everyone within viewing distance of him was horrified by the sight. Kyuubi had full control of Naruto's body.

Kakashi looked over at Yamato horrified, "By the gods…what is happening right now?"

Yamato gulped, "He's transforming into Kyuubi…I see five tails. This is really really bad senpai!"

A nearby Anko ran over and cut in, "What the hell is happening to Naruto?!"

"How is that even possible? I thought Kyuubi's power was sealed?!" Yamato asked bewildered.

"We're going to need the Hokage's help in resealing Kyuubi…but right now we have to deal with Orochimaru," Kakashi replied urgently.

A squadron of Anbu landed nearby and looked at the jinchuuriki in a mix of awe and fear. Kyuubi laughed at them, **"Tremble and despair, mortals! I AM UNLEASHED!"**

'_Kyuubi what are you doing?!' _Naruto demanded.

'_**Setting you free my kit! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!'**_

They all backed away in horror as Kyuubi began to charge a tailed beast ball and launched it at the barrier. A deafening blast of energy fired from Kyuubi's mouth destroying everything in its path. Not only was the blast successful in dissipating the barrier, but nearly half the district behind it.

Kyuubi charged onto the rooftop and landed in front of the Hokage facing Orochimaru. The snake Sannin eyed the beast worried, "My my…so you've finally tamed your weapon sensei. Well luckily for me, I have weapons of my own!"

The Hokage looked at Kyuubi concerned, "Naruto is that you? What is going on with you right now?"

"**OH Spare me old man! The kit isn't able to speak to you right now! But for the record, he's known about me for years…and about your pathetic cover ups and lies!" **Kyuubi responded fiercely to the Hokage.

Orochimaru took this opportunity to start summoning coffins while the two were distracted.

"Naruto, listen, I know you're in there. I'm sorry about keeping the truth from you, but I was doing it to protect you. The Uzumaki Clan is full of nothing but power mad lunatics that worship bijou! Mito Uzumaki was the daughter of a powerful warlord. She founded that clan on the ideals of bloodshed and war, not peace or prosperity. The whole clan was raised on killing and destroying anything that got in their way. I didn't want that life for you and I didn't want Kyuubi to be your curse. The Fourth sealed the beast away in you thirteen years ago because he had no choice."

'_Tell him I said that's a pathetic excuse!' _Naruto shouted angrily.

"**He says you're full of shit old man! Why don't you explain to him about his parents? Or maybe even the others…"**

"You fiend! Whatever that monster has told you Naruto, don't believe it! Kyuubi is a master deceiver and wicked to the core! He's trying to turn you against Konoha! Think clearly for a moment boy! It's true, I did order your clan's annihilation, but I had no choice. The council overruled me…they said that Uzushio was going to try and attack us to get Kushina back!" Sarutobi replied.

Many of the surrounding jounin were within distance to hear the whole conversation and watched anxiously. Orochimaru's sound four nervously stayed back awaiting their master's command. Orochimaru seemed intrigued by the scene as he stood silently with two coffins next to him.

'_Maybe I can use Kyuubi against them…but just to be safe I should get the five seals ready,' _Orochimaru thought.

"**Oh? So now you want to mention Kushina's name to me. Why don't you explain to him who she is…" **Kyuubi hissed sadistically.

The Hokage felt a single tear roll down his face as he looked down shamefully, "Naruto, Kushina was the previous container of Kyuubi…she was a member of the Uzumaki Clan and your mother."

'_My mother?! YOU NEVER TOLD ME YOU HAD PREVIOUS CONTAINERS! KYUUBI LET ME SPEAK TO HIM NOW!' _Naruto shouted hysterically in his own mindscape.

'**Of course I did…two others to be precise. Mito Uzumaki was the first and your mother was the second. Mito was a worthy container and embodied everything great about jinchuuriki. You are very similar to her in some ways. Kushina on the other hand was pacified and pathetic. She was fully corrupted by Konoha's poison. I refused to let that happen to you. You're going to be like Mito and rekindle the Uzumaki Clan!' **The fox demon responded inwardly.

"Naruto…why didn't you ever tell us about your knowledge of Kyuubi? We could have done something about it…now the demon's hold on you is too strong. I failed you just as I failed your father," Sarutobi was now crying much to everybody's shock.

'_My father? Who is my father, Kyuubi?' _

"**He never trusted you old man!"**

"Naruto…for the love of all things sacred please fight Kyuubi's control. That demon destroyed everybody it has ever come into contact with. Mito destroyed herself chasing Kyuubi's lies. Yondaime sacrificed himself sealing it away into his only child," Sarutobi pleaded desperately. This news surprised all of the surrounding jounin at the revelation of who Naruto really was.

The sound four looked shocked. Orochimaru's eyes widened, _'Yellow Flash's son?!'_

Kakashi and Yamato traded sad glances as Anko's jaw dropped.

_Yondaime is my father?! How is that even possible?!' _Naruto thought disbelievingly.

Kyuubi shook his head and laughed, **"I've had enough talking for one day. Time for all of you to die…but as a courtesy old man for the kit, I'll kill this little snake bitch first!" **

Orochimaru's sick grin soon turned to worry as Kyuubi faced the sannin.

"Well luckily for me, I've got more than a few surprises left in me. Behold the Hokages!" Orochimaru laughed as the two coffins opened revealing Hashirama and Tobirama Senju. Sarutobi looked horrified by the sight as Orochimaru placed them under his control.

They both looked at Kyuubi concerned. Orochimaru chuckled wickedly as they both got into fighting stances.

Kyuubi laughed, **"Oh, so you think they're going to help you against me? Tobirama…kill him!"**

The second Hokage began to glow blood red much to Orochimaru's disbelief and turned towards Orochimaru.

"T-t-that's impossible! What did you do to him?! HE IS UNDER MY CONTROL!" Orochimaru demanded.

Tobirama wasted no time as he flashed through several hand seals and unleashed a torrent of water at Orochimaru. The attack was almost successful until Hashirama blocked it with several trees.

Seeing as how he was backed into a corner, Orochimaru began to run away, "Retreat! Send out the call for a retreat!"

Just then Naruto saw a massive explosion in the distance, _'SASUKE! I have to help her! GIVE ME CONTROL BACK FOX!'_

'**NO KIT, WE HAVE TO FINISH THIS NOW BEFORE THE SNAKE GETS AWAY!' **Kyuubi argued.

'_FUCK HIM AND FUCK THIS VILLAGE! Go back to your cage Kyuubi!' _Much to Kyuubi's disapproval, Naruto managed to wrestle control back and receded his tails.

**"You're making a huge mistake right now…"** Kyuubi huffed in annoyance. Wasting no time, Naruto abandoned the third Hokage and Orochimaru and took off in Sasuke's direction.

Sarutobi looked over worried, "Naruto, wait come back!"

Orochimaru took this opportunity to turn back around and started to laugh, "Hahahahahaha, it looks like he's leaving you to die old man!"

Widespread battle broke out again as Orochimaru attempted to use the Hokages again. Much to his annoyance, Tobirama was still battling Hashirama. "Senpai, should we go after Naruto?!" Yamato asked Kakashi.

The jounin looked back and forth concerned, "I-I don't know...the Hokage needs help. Still somebody has to go help Naruto."

"I'll help him. You two back up the Hokage!" Anko cut in before taking off.

"Wait, Anko, we need you here!" Kakashi shouted, but before he could go after her another wave of enemy jounin showed up.

Sarutobi summoned two shadow clones as he faced his opponents down. He looked desperate and sighed as he flashed through a long series of hand seals, "It figures things would end like this, Shiki Fujin (Dead Demon Dead Demon Consuming Seal)!"

Orochimaru's eyes widened in disbelief, "NO!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I made a cliffhanger like an evil jerk! I just literally couldn't fit the whole next part into this chapter without making a super mega chapter…so I'm sorry about that. Anyways, hopefully I'll have time to update this story a bit more regularly.

Well there you have it folks. The LONG awaited chapter 10. Was it everything you were hoping for? Probably not. I know that a lot of you are going to be a bit mad about what went down between Naruto and Sasuke, but it will make more sense in future chapters. I promise you things will improve…I know it gets frustrating when I tease you guys like that.

I probably should have been a bit more detailed in the fights, but I figured most of you don't care too much about that…or maybe I'm wrong who knows. I kind of got lazy with that part so apologies. Just put in some mental filler if it bothered you at all.

So here's the real question: Is Kyuubi the good guy or the bad guy? How did he take over Tobirama? Is your head spinning yet? Mine is...and I already know what's happening.

Anyways, thanks a lot for reading. You people really make this story fun for me to write. Take care!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: A New Horizon**

Naruto wasted no time as he leapt at high speed across the war torn rooftops of Konoha. In his peripheral vision he could see widespread chaos and countless outbreaks of battle. He did not care though. His only priority right now was to find Sasuke no matter the cost.

He made it a considerable distance past the village walls towards the source of the large explosion he had recently witnessed. Several smaller ones followed it as he got closer. Part of him wondered if leaving the Hokage behind was the right thing to do, but he quickly pushed those thoughts aside, _'Who cares about the old man. He's on his own now._'

"**I can't believe you're going after this Uchiha girl. What is the point behind all this? You do realize that you won't have another opportunity to kill Orochimaru for quite some time now?"** Kyuubi sighed in disapproval.

'_What makes you think I can't just kill him later?' _the jinchuuriki asked.

"**He is slippery and prefers to fight from the shadows. This was really your one chance to kill him out in the open. Now he's probably going to escape by the time you wrap up your little hero detour. I thought we worked past this already…what is your obsession with this girl?" **Kyuubi grunted in annoyance.

'_Don't worry Kyuubi, I haven't forgotten our talk. I have no false illusions of what this implies. I simply don't like the idea of that Gaara guy killing her. Did you see what was happening to him? That was not a bloodline or anything I've ever seen…he has something inside of him doesn't he?' _Naruto responded reasonably.

Kyuubi seemed surprised but impressed by his observation, **"Yes, I had put some thought into it and I believe you are dead on with your assumption. It was subtle at first, but there is no mistaking it now. He is the jinchuuriki of Ichibi."**

The blonde pondered this for a moment, _'How long have you suspected this? I would have liked to have known sooner.'_

"**I wasn't entirely sure until just recently. Shukaku and I never really saw eye to eye. He is not very fond of me so that might be why I didn't recognize him right away," **Kyuubi chuckled as he recalled some distant memory.

'_At any rate, if your suspicions prove correct then we are better off pursuing this Gaara guy anyways,' _Naruto noted.

"**I can see why you would think that. Normally I would agree, but after what we just did to Orochimaru in front of his minions…I highly doubt that he's going to want to come near us again," **Kyuubi sighed.

'_How is that a bad thing though?_' the blonde wondered.

Kyuubi seemed lost in his own thoughts, **"It is one less headache I would prefer to not have looming over our heads. But alas, what's done is done now…hopefully the path you have chosen will play out in our favor."**

'_We'll see I suppose. Although what's the deal with this Orochimaru guy anyways? I mean he used to be a Sannin didn't he? What's his whole motive behind all of this?' _Naruto asked.

Kyuubi huffed, **"To hell if I know…to hell if I care."**

'_He's not going to want to fight me face to face now. I guess it's not really our problem anymore…but something else is bothering me. How in the world did he resurrect the Hokages? Hell was that even them?_' Naruto inquired anxiously.

"**I'm not really sure…but I was able to seize control of it," **Kyuubi noted more to himself than Naruto.

The blonde shook his head as that scene replayed in his head_, 'How exactly did you do that?_' Naruto focused his gaze on his destination as he picked up speed.

Kyuubi answered with a hint of amusement, **"Tobirama didn't take Mito as seriously as he should have."**

'_What the hell does Mito Uzumaki have to do with anything?! You say she was your first container?! What does that have to do with the second Hokage? Unless…how did they both die; how did my mother become your container?' _Naruto asked incredulously.

"**I promised I would answer your questions, kit, but now is not the time or place," **Kyuubi responded sternly.

'_Fair enough fox…but you and I really need to talk about this. I mean we're at the point now where there shouldn't be any more secrets between us,_' Naruto replied calmly.

Kyuubi nodded in agreement with a light sigh, **"We'll finish this conversation later."**

Naruto felt a sense of relief hearing Kyuubi's agreement. Part of him was still a bit shaken up by the recent happenings between Kyuubi's control and the Hokage's words of truth.

'_Yondaime is my father…' _his mind trailed off as he bolted closer towards what appeared to be a large shell of sand.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sasuke panted heavily as she dodged a massive sand claw from the transforming Gaara. The longer they had been battling, the more bizarrely misshapen he had become. His eyes were that of an unnatural color and his body was under some sort of metamorphosis. The Suna Jinchuuriki was no joke in his current state.

The raven-haired Uchiha skillfully dodged wave after wave of sand attacks and desperately tried to think of a plan to take him down. Earlier she attempted to blow him up, but all it did was anger her foe even more.

Sasuke knew she was going to have to get completely serious if she was going to stand any chance against Gaara. She flashed through a series of hand seals as the red head rode a massive sand dune down to engulf her.

Upon finishing, she shouted, "Chidori Eiso!" (One Thousand Birds Sharp Spear) A long spear of lightning shot from her hand just in time to pierce through one of Gaara's massive sand claws. The jinchuuriki seemed surprised by this move and his eyes widened when a torrent of lightning shot through it causing his sand to shake apart and loose shape.

This move had been one of Sasuke's top secret ace moves that she was saving for Naruto, but right now her life was in danger.

Gaara instantly flipped away and raised his fists in the air causing most of the surrounding battlefield to lift off the ground and encapsulate Sasuke. He was rather surprised when she instantly sliced through the sand prison and dove towards him. She brought the lightning lance down in a low motion and jabbed as hard as she could in an attempt to impale Gaara.

Unfortunately, his ultimate defense stopped the attack short and caused Sasuke's arm to get stuck. Sand quickly spread up her arm in an attempt to ensnare her again. Much to Gaara's disbelief, her arm began to cackle with lightning and she quickly broke free.

Right now, Sasuke was under the impression that lightning would be more effective against Gaara's sand. From her brief analysis of his fighting style, she realized that speed and penetration were key in breaking through. Although that was becoming increasingly difficult with the more sand that he was creating.

It appeared to be manifesting out of nowhere causing Sasuke to question the nature of Gaara's powers even more. The Uchiha gracefully back-flipped away as she dusted the loose sand off her body. There was a brief silence between the two as they stared each other down. Gaara's eyes widened with malicious bloodlust, "WHY WON'T YOU DIE?!" he roared as multiple sand claws began to shoot out of the dune he stood upon.

There were thrice as many as before causing Sasuke to bite her lip concerned,_ 'It's getting harder and harder to keep up with this guy. He just doesn't know when to quit.'_

She barely managed to dodge his brutal assault of sand before drawing her sword again. Lightning crackled over the blade as she swung it against an incoming sand claw. The blade carved through it like paper and the sand quickly collapsed into a dune around her.

Her success was short-lived as the sand beneath her feet began to swirl in an upwards spiral. It quickly twisted into a sand typhoon ensnaring her yet again. This time Sasuke found it much harder to move, let alone breathe. She grimaced in pain as Gaara's malicious glare turned into a sadistic, wide-eyed grin, "DIE!"

Thinking fast, she tried channeling another lightning cloak around her body. It seemed half effective as the sand vibrated and began to shake away. Sasuke channeled more, but much to her disbelief, Gaara began to add a colossal amount of sand to negate this.

She quickly gasped for air as the sand completely smothered her into a massive sphere-shaped sand coffin. The half-transformed Gaara let out a blood-curdling roar as he cracked both fists causing the sand to compress the prison.

Deep inside the sand prison, Sasuke thought frantically for any possible solution to her current predicament. A risky idea crossed her mind as she flexed her muscles intensely. Sasuke channeled lightning in one hand and fire in the other.

In a move of desperation she charged as much of her body's chakra as possible into another armor. Only this time, it was half fire, and half lightning. The resulting product quickly blazed through the sand prison as random sparks shot out of the sides. Not even a second later the entire sphere was set ablaze.

Gaara seemed shocked by this display as the sphere then erupted into a storm of burning sand. The smell could only be compared to that of an erupting volcano. The jinchuuriki scanned the aftermath for any sign of Sasuke. He quickly spotted her leaning over and panting.

Sasuke glanced up at him worried, _'Damn, that took a lot more chakra than I wanted it to. How the hell am I supposed to fight this guy?! He just keeps coming!'_

"Getting tired?" the monstrous hybrid Gaara asked with a deadly glare.

The Uchiha girl bit her lip before standing up tall and proud, "You wish…I'm just getting started."

Sasuke was bluffing sadly. She was in a bit of a rough spot. The girl honestly had no clue how to fight Gaara. All of her most powerful attacks, while effective, didn't seem to do that much to him. No matter how many times she would break through his defenses or break out of his grips…the boy would keep on coming. He also seemed to be regenerating somehow.

'_If only my Sharingan were more powerful…_' she thought as she locked death glares with Gaara once more.

"You have to die…you need to die…you deserve to die!" Gaara shouted incoherently as he unleashed another barrage of attacks.

However, before any of them could hit, a massive torrent of water intercepted his sand waves. It quickly turned the entire battlefield into a muddy mess. Both Gaara and Sasuke looked completely shocked to see ragged and feral looking Naruto.

He landed right next to Sasuke who didn't know whether to feel relieved or embarrassed. Gaara on the other hand was shocked that all of his sand was now a sludgy mud mess. He simply shook with anger as he stared at Naruto.

"So you're still alive huh, Uchiha?" Naruto asked in a carefree way.

She cracked a fist and bit her lip, "I can handle this…I don't need your help!"

Naruto quickly shot her a fierce look before shaking his head, "I beg to differ, little miss Uchiha. How do you expect to kill your brother if you can't even get past this guy?"

"I had this under control! Why the hell are you even here!?" she shot back.

"I imagine this is exactly how your fight with Itachi would end up wouldn't it? It's a shame too…you have so much potential in comparison to the rest of the drones around here," Naruto replied callously.

This comment quickly got her fired up, "How dare you say that to me! If this is about earlier than you can just forget it!"

"Oh I already have…I'm done being your doormat, Sasuke. To be honest, I'm not even here for you. I'm here for him," Naruto pointed towards Gaara.

Despite her brave appearance, Naruto's insult cut her deeply. Part of her had hoped that he was really here to save her. She couldn't help but blame herself for the way she reacted. However, to hide, her insecurity she quickly reverted to anger, "Why are you interfering in MY fight anyways?! I have this under control!"

"No you don't," Naruto replied simply with a careless shrug, "Gaara's not even at full power yet and you're over here falling apart."

Sasuke looked back over at Gaara before meeting Naruto's gaze again, "What do you mean, he's not at full power?! What the hell is he?!"

"He's somebody like me…this fight no longer concerns you, Sasuke. Get out of here," the blonde said almost casually.

She raised a brow, "Somebody like you?! So what? You're telling me you're some kind of monster too?!"

"Sasuke, get out of here!" he yelled.

She looked rather surprised by his aggressive tone. Gaara on the other hand was staring at him wide-eyed trying to absorb what he just said.

For some reason, Sasuke felt like she was a little girl again getting scolded by her father. In a moment of bitter disapproval she reared her hand back and slapped Naruto across the face.

He simply shot her a look of disbelief before she reared back to slap him again. This time he caught her wrist mid-swing and squeezed it as hard as possible. He made sure to apply pressure at the right points which quickly brought the girl to her knees.

Gaara simply stared at them as the two glared at each other in an unspoken silence. Sasuke tried to stand up again, but was quickly pushed to the ground. She could barely believe this was happening between her and Naruto as they both seemed to completely ignore the fact that Gaara was even there.

Finally, Naruto spoke again, "I said, get out of here!"

She quickly leapt to her feet and sent him a saddened look. Naruto could tell by her despairing look that she didn't have the will to argue with him at the moment.

"And go where?" Sasuke finally muttered. She could barely believe how weak she felt in this situation.

"Since when do you need my advice?" he answered with a condescending question. She looked away shamefully.

'_I can't burn this bridge forever…Naruto's the only good thing that's happened in my life since I became a ninja,_' Sasuke thought distantly. Naruto looked surprised when she gazed upon him with a saddened face, "I don't want to leave you…"

"What?!" he said bewildered by her change of heart.

"I've been so pathetic haven't I? You must think I'm a terrible person…" she trailed off.

Before Naruto could answer, he heard Gaara start laughing. "Hahahahahaha…he thinks he's like me. That's impossible…nobody could ever be like me!"

Naruto turned around and locked gazes with the mad genin, "Wait stop! You're a jinchuuriki aren't you?!"

The red head's maddened eyes only seemed to light up like an erupting volcano upon hearing his words. "Another one sent to kill me?! You'll die too!"

Gaara wasted no time creating more sand which appeared to be manifesting out of nowhere much to Naruto's surprise.

Sasuke on the other hand thought out loud, "Jinchuuriki? What is a jinchuuriki?"

She quickly shut up as she gasped at Gaara who appeared to be going through his full transformation. The jinchuuriki cackled madly as he flashed through several hand seals, "Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu!" (Feigning Sleep Technique)

Naruto looked rather surprised as the sand began to manifest into a beast like shape around Gaara. His waist up was sticking out of what appeared to be a massive sand beast's head. This monstrosity quickly caused him to gulp concerned, _'What the hell did he just do Kyuubi?!'_

"**That's not good…it looks as if he's trying to summon all of Shukaku's power. The kid put himself to sleep…Shukaku must have full control of him now," **Kyuubi answered.

The blonde thought quickly for some way to reverse this. _'There's no way I'm going to be able to stop this guy if he's fully transformed. What should I do, Kyuubi?'_

The fox chuckled at his tone, **"You know Mokuton do you not? That was instrumental in restraining me. Try it against him."**

'_Hey do you think waking him up could reverse this?' _Naruto asked.

Kyuubi thought for a brief moment, **"It's a good idea. Though you may want to act fast before he attacks."**

The fox's advice seemed almost ironic as Naruto felt himself get tackled just in time to dodge one of Shukaku's claws smashing against the ground.

Naruto quickly regained his composure and looked rather surprised to see Sasuke had just made an attempt to save him from danger. He didn't have time to think about this though as the two quickly leapt to their feet and dodged another flurry of smashes.

Sasuke looked worried as she glanced over at Naruto, "What the hell is he? You said he's like you? Exactly what is jinchuuriki?!"

"Tailed beast containers…he has the One-Tail and I have the Nine-Tails," Naruto answered quickly without looking at her. Shukaku sent Naruto a look of disapproval upon hearing this claim.

The bijou let out an amused shriek, **"So, you're Kyuubi's host?! How the mighty have fallen…you're not so powerful now are you?" **

Naruto could tell that Shukaku was directing his question towards Kyuubi. The blonde could hear the fox smashing his head against the bars of his cage,** "Take him down now kit! I will not suffer insults from that fool!"**

Sasuke's eyes went wide with utter shock as she eyed Naruto up and down, "You're a container for THE Kyuubi?! I thought the fourth defeated it though…"

He did not bother responding as he took several steps closer towards the One-Tail. The massive sand raccoon gave him a look that was somewhere between amusement and anger.

Naruto wasted no time channeling his red chakra cloak much to Sasuke's surprise. She witnessed this earlier, but it was only now that she fully understood what it was.

'_So Naruto can control Kyuubi's power?!' _she thought in disbelief. _'He's been holding back this entire time…'_

Much to her continued disbelief, Naruto flashed through a series of hand seals, "Mokuton: Mokusatsu Shibari no Jutsu!" (Wood Release: Smothering Binding Technique)

Sasuke's jaw dropped with awe upon witnessing Naruto perform the legendary art of Mokuton. '_No way…just how powerful has he become?!'_

The girl could barely believe her eyes as Naruto's enormous chakra pools created a massive binding restraint of wood to hold Shukaku down. The bijou bucked frantically in an attempt to break free which greatly strained Naruto as he channeled more chakra.

The blonde quickly turned his head towards Sasuke, "Wake Gaara up! It's the only way to stop him!"

She looked at him confused for a moment before understanding, _'That's right…he transformed after falling asleep.'_

Naruto looked worried as Shukaku began to channel a tailed beast ball at him, _'Umm…Kyuubi, what the hell is he doing?!'_

"**You better do something fast! You're going to get fried if he hits you with that! Give me control and I can stop him!" **the fox demanded.

'_No…not with Sasuke here! I have another idea,' _Naruto thought. He instantly ripped his arms free of the wooden prison around Shukaku and quickly channeled a massive Rasengan. Wasting no time, he charged forward and jabbed a hole through Shukaku just in time to avoid a super massive tailed beast ball obliterating the landscape behind him.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was able to ascend Shukaku from behind and made swift progress towards his head. The bijou quickly took notice and tried to grab her, but much to his surprise, Sasuke sliced his hand off with her lightning charged sword.

Only, this time, it had long extensions which clearly resulted in a lightning-sword whip. Shukaku's hand easily reformed and made another attempt to snatch the Uchiha. She narrowly avoided both of his claws as she ascended up Shukaku's neck and brought her sword down execution style.

The blade stuck into Shukaku's head and Sasuke charged the rest of her chakra into conducting a lightning current through it. This caused the thrashing beast to shake in an immobile state. Sasuke panted heavily as she continued to hold it. Much to her relief, Naruto quickly made his way up the beast and delivered a powerful punch towards Gaara's face waking him up.

The resulting aftermath caused Shukaku's form to completely dissipate into a massive sand dune with Gaara, Naruto, and Sasuke on top. The red head looked up dazed and disbelievingly as Naruto took a step over him.

"So, you really were the best…then I guess it's time for me to die," was all Gaara could say as his cold careless eyes met Naruto's.

"Why would I kill a fellow jinchuuriki?" he asked rhetorically.

The red head was barely conscious and simply stared at the sky, "So you're a jinchuuriki too, Naruto Uzumaki?"

Before Naruto or Sasuke could even say anything else, they heard the sound of footsteps. They quickly turned and spotted a defeated looking Kankuro and a grief-stricken Temari. They appeared to be in a state of disbelief that Gaara was defeated.

However, much to their surprise, Naruto picked Gaara up and carried him over to his siblings. The red head looked at him curiously, "You're not going to kill me?"

"There's only a few of us jinchuuriki in the world…we should look out for one another," Naruto answered.

Temari and Kankuro appeared to overhear this and both stared at him fearfully.

They quickly got into fighting stances as Naruto approached, but his lack of aggression caused them to back down upon getting there. He handed Gaara to Kankuro without saying a word. The puppet user and his sister both trades disbelieving glances before Temari spoke up, "Hey dude, wait!"

The blonde turned around curiously, "What?"

"Why are you doing this?" Temari began.

"He doesn't deserve to die…it's not his fault that he's a jinchuuriki. I understand his pain and would never wish death upon one of my own kind," Naruto replied.

Tears began to fall down her face as she hugged the blank faced Gaara. He seemed surprised by this action. Kankuro put a hand on Gaara and met his brother's curious gaze. No words were exchanged, but the look was one of relief.

"We attacked your village though…don't you want us dead?" Kankuro asked surprised.

"I am no longer a member of this village. You are not my enemy," Naruto spoke assuredly as he pulled off his headband. Sasuke, who had just now made it over to this scene, could barely believe her eyes when the blonde simply threw his Konoha headband to the ground.

Gaara's eyes went wide at the sight, "What is the meaning of this?"

Temari's jaw dropped as she glanced between the headband and Naruto, "You would turn against your own village? Why?"

"Do you honestly think I care about this village? I've been waiting for something like this to happen for a long time, so I could leave. So thanks," Naruto said distantly to the sand nin.

"You're not honestly going to spare them are you?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto glanced between them, "Just out of curiosity, why did you guys attack us? Just what is your connection with Orochimaru?"

Kankuro looked down shamefully as Temari narrowed her brow, "He tricked us…Orochimaru assassinated the Kazekage and has been masquerading as him this entire time. Our father is dead now and our forces have retreated," she answered.

Sasuke shook her head in disbelief, "You're the Kazekage's kids?"

The blonde completely ignored Sasuke as she continued to stare at Naruto, "If you're leaving this village, where will you go now?"

"Awfully curious aren't you pigtails? Sorry, but you can't come along," Naruto chuckled. He was hoping to change the depressing mood. It seemed to work as Temari crossed her arms and huffed, "Hey now don't get the wrong idea, bud…we're grateful and all for you getting Gaara under control, but don't go misunderstanding me."

"Who could misunderstand an exotic beauty such as you?" Naruto added. Everybody present gave him shocked looks. Sasuke in particular felt a tinge of jealousy at the fact that Naruto just flirted with the foreign ninja. She didn't say anything but a nasty look was sent Temari's way which didn't go unnoticed by the other girl.

"You three should go now…before Konoha nin get here," Sasuke stated sternly before anybody could say anything else.

Temari simply looked away with a shameful blush, "Yeah, we were just leaving…maybe we'll see you around, Naruto Uzumaki. If you're ever in Suna, come visit us."

Without another word, the sand siblings took off at high speed leaving Naruto and Sasuke alone.

"So you think she's beautiful?" Sasuke asked as she continued to look ahead.

"What? Oh no, I was just joking…not like it really concerns you anyways," he responded without looking at her.

They awkwardly met gazes and thought of ways to continue their somewhat intimate conversation from earlier.

"Umm about what I said earlier, Naruto…I'm sorry," Sasuke apologized. He looked at her uncertainly not really sure if she was being serious. After a moment he simply sighed, "Yeah, it's okay I guess…you were right anyways."

"About what?" She exclaimed.

"You have been pathetic. I don't really know what your deal is, but you've made it pretty clear how you feel about us," he said calmly.

"So tell me, Naruto…how long were you going to keep this jinchuuriki thing a secret from me?" she asked.

He simply shrugged, "I had hoped indefinitely, but I figured you'd eventually find out. I guess it doesn't really matter though…since we're going our separate ways now. You don't seem as repulsed as most people get when they find out."

"I don't care about that crap. I want to know where are you going and why are you becoming a missing nin? Surely it has more to do than you being some kind of bijou prison," she questioned unhappily.

Naruto sighed, "It's personal stuff…this village destroyed the Uzumaki Clan. I'm going to find the survivors."

"What?! They destroyed your clan?!" she seemed almost as disgusted and angry as he was when she heard that news. Naruto nodded his head sadly, "Yeah, it's kind of a long story…a lot of it has to do with Kyuubi. You were smart to reject me, Sasuke…it was selfish of me to try and involve you in my chaotic life."

Sasuke quickly pulled her head band off and threw it to the ground right next to his, "I'm going with you."

"Eh? Why though? I thought you-" he started to speak, but was quickly interrupted as Sasuke locked lips with him. This one was much less aggressive than the previous one and far more passionate. Sasuke quickly forced her tongue into his mouth as the two kissed deeply.

After a moment, Naruto broke it and looked at her surprised, "What about all that stuff you said though?"

"I know I know…it's just really hard for me. You've been so patient and understanding through my fits. I've been a real bitch haven't I?" she sighed.

"Yeah, you sure have," he chuckled causing her to shoot him a disapproving glare.

She quickly lightened up, "Well I don't really know how these relationship things work…but so long as we're together I guess everything will be fine. I mean that is if you're okay with this?"

"I don't want you to feel pressured into this Sasuke. We'll just take things slow and see where it goes. We should probably keep things simple for now," he replied.

The Uchiha nodded her head in approval, "That seems reasonable to me. Hey, by the way…did you seriously use Mokuton earlier?!"

Her almost excited tone caused him to raise a brow, "Umm, yeah I did."

"So that's what all that secret training was huh? Jeez, got any other secrets I need to know about?" she asked.

Naruto simply shrugged, "Probably…but we should get out of here if we're going to have any chance of dodging patrols."

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously.

Naruto thought about the letter he received not too long ago, '_I wonder if I should go to one of these other ninja villages to find Uzumaki Clan members. The letter said a lot of them are in Iwa…_'

"**That might as well be a good place to start. I imagine they're scattered all over the place," **Kyuubi laughed.

"Let's just head north for now, Sasuke…until I have some time to plot a course to Iwa. But first I need to swing by my apartment and get some stuff," Nartuo spoke assuredly.

The raven haired girl cocked her head, "Iwa? Why Iwa?"

"I'll explain it to you later…we need to get out of here before somebody shows up," the blonde explained.

He wasted no time taking off at high speed around the perimeter of the village. Several small scale battles were still under way between Konoha and Oto jounin, but the vast majority of it appeared to be over.

He didn't bother examining the aftermath as they made their way through the war-torn city as quickly and quietly as possible. Sasuke looked at him rather confused, "Why are we going through the village? Somebody will notice us without our headbands."

"I know, Sasuke, but there's something I have to get from my apartment," he responded.

She seemed confused, "What is it?"

"My clan's bloodline scroll," he answered as the two landed on his balcony. His shabby apartment building was relatively unscathed much to his amusement. Naruto couldn't help but find it ironic.

"What is your clan's bloodline?" Sasuke asked curiously as the blonde dug through his apartment for several different items. He quickly packed most of his apartment's spare clothes, money, and gear into a scroll before reaching underneath his own bed and pulling out a chest.

Sasuke watched interested as the blonde pulled the scroll out and handed it to her, "My clan's bloodlines are lava and boil."

She looked at the scroll for one second before glancing back up at him, "You can do this stuff too?!"

"Not all of it…I've only scratched the surface. Still, that scroll is an heirloom from my clan. I won't let it fall into anybody else's hands," he answered as Sasuke handed the scroll back to him. The blonde wasted no time packing it into his pouch.

"Where did you get it?" Sasuke asked as the two made their way to his apartment door.

"I'll fill you in later, we really need to get out of here now," Naruto changed the subject as he swung his front door open.

Much to his sheer and utter shock, there was somebody waiting outside of his apartment door. It was none other than the Hyuuga heiress herself, Hinata. The white-eyed girl looked at him concerned, "N-naruto-kun are you okay? E-e-every-b-body is l-looking f-for you."

She quickly took notice of Sasuke standing behind him and her eyes widened with disbelief. This only seemed to amplify once Hinata realized that neither one of them were wearing headbands and Naruto was packed with gear.

Before she had any time to react, Naruto quickly cupped a hand over her mouth and pulled her inside of his apartment. He swiftly closed the door and pulled his hand away, "Hinata, what are you doing here?!"

She seemed to flinch from this, and nervously twiddled her thumbs, "Umm…I-I'm s-sorry."

Sasuke didn't look all that pleased by the girl's presence, but Naruto managed to regain his composure and calmed down.

The girl appeared to be shaking as she looked down sadly, "Y-you're l-leaving?"

He and Sasuke both traded dreadful looks before Naruto let out a heavy sigh, "Yes, Hinata, we're leaving."

"I-I never t-thought y-you would leave, K-konoha…" she seemed visibly distressed by this scene. Before Naruto could even respond, tears began to flow down the Hyuuga's face.

This caused him to eye her confused, "What's wrong Hinata?"

"Why are you leaving now?" she sobbed with slightly more confidence.

"Naruto, we don't have time for this…knock her out so we can go," Sasuke sighed annoyed as she began to pace.

"Why are you upset, Hinata? Was the battle that scary for you. Hey you said everybody was looking for me? Why is that?" Naruto asked consecutively.

She looked up for the first time since she began crying and met his gaze, "I-I heard my father talking about you, Naruto…a-about your fight w-with Neji and with Orochimaru."

Naruto instantly knew what that meant, "So you know about Kyuubi then…yeah I'm sure the whole village must be after me for that by now."

"What happened exactly?" Sasuke cut in.

"I used Kyuubi's power and scared half the village or something," he answered.

"The Hokage is dead," Hinata said slowly.

Naruto gave her a shocked expression not really sure how to react to this news. Part of him did not care, but somehow it still came as a sickening feeling. Nevertheless, the blonde simply sighed, "That's not my problem anymore. Sasuke and I are out of here. I've got nothing against you or your clan Hinata, but I say to hell with Konoha."

The Hyuuga looked as if she had just seen a ghost and continued to cry sadly, "Y-you don't m-mean t-that…"

"We're leaving, Hinata…sorry I never got to know you better," Naruto said as he followed Sasuke towards his balcony ledge door.

Much to both of their surprise, the girl spoke up confidently, "Wait! I want to go with you."

Both Naruto and Sasuke turned around shocked. Naruto stared at her curiously, "Are you serious? Aren't you a clan heiress?"

Hinata seemed a bit fearful under Sasuke and Naruto's hard stares. She nervously shuffled back and forth as a blush crept across her face, "I would go for you, Naruto-kun."

Sasuke crossed her arms clearly in disapproval. Naruto on the other hand raised a brow, "You do realize that we're becoming missing nin right?"

"I know…and I don't care. I-I'm so t-tired of living like this. I-I'm so weak a-and n-nothing e-ever good happens in my life. I-I'm a disgrace to my clan and they wouldn't e-even miss me," Hinata looked extremely depressed upon admitting this aloud.

"You think following me is going to make your life any better?" he asked uncertainly.

Hinata nodded her head, "Y-yes! Would you please…would y-you please t-train me!" The girl's behavior and request greatly surprised Naruto.

He chuckled at her attitude, "When you ask me like that, I can't deny you anything."

The girl immediately went scarlet as she looked away embarrassed. However, much to Hinata and Sasuke's disbelief, the blonde walked over and gave her a quick bow, "You can come with us then Hinata."

Sasuke's jaw was agape, "You can't be serious…she'll slow us down!"

"She's got potential…plus, we're going to need all the allies we can get on the run. C'mon girls, let's go," Naruto said as he opened his balcony door.

Upon exiting, he felt a familiar chakra surge around his neck and could detect incoming ninjas. He quickly glanced back at his companions, "C'mon this way. Follow me!"

The trio made swift progress zigzagging through the village, dodging ninjas and civilians alike. Thankfully, the widespread chaos made it easy for them to slip through most people's notice.

Naruto felt a slight hint of relief wash over him as the three of them left the village gate. Unfortunately, Naruto quickly detected a chakra signature closing in fast to intercept them. He motioned for Sasuke and Hinata to stop as the three landed on a branch.

Across from them, a familiar purple-haired snake jounin landed. The sadistic Kunoichi gave Naruto an" amused glance, "Tsk, Tsk, Tsk…where do you think you're going kid?"

"Hey, I know you…you're that grader from the Chunin exams," Sasuke stated.

Anko licked her lips, "Ah yes, that would be me…none other than the infamous, Anko Mitarashi."

Hinata seemed nervous and quietly tried to hide behind Naruto which didn't go unnoticed by Anko. The snake mistress noticed Naruto and Sasuke's missing headbands and shook her head, "You kids are seriously leaving the village?"

"Don't try to stop me, woman…I'm pretty sure you saw what I did to Orochimaru," Naruto threatened her.

This only seemed to excite her, "Oh I love a tough guy…you're quite the little bad boy aren't you, Naru-chan?"

Sasuke quickly drew her sword and leered at the woman, "If he doesn't kill you, I will. We're leaving, Konoha. Don't try to stop us!"

The snake mistress sighed as she looked back at the devastated village behind them, "You know, I can't really blame you for leaving kid…I wouldn't want to support a village that destroyed my clan either." All three genin gave her surprised glances. Sasuke and Naruto were shocked that she knew, and Hinata was shocked by the news in general.

"N-naruto-kun, K-konoha destroyed y-your clan?" Hinata asked disbelievingly.

"How did you know?" Naruto asked bewildered.

The snake mistress frowned, "They told me when I went on that Anbu mission…honestly, I'm not here to stop you. I'm here to wish you well. Good luck on your journey…I'll cover your tracks."

"Umm, thanks," Naruto responded still recovering from the surprise. He quickly glanced between the Uchiha and Hyuuga girls, "We need to cover a lot of ground,"

Both nodded and before long the trio set out into the distance. Anko sighed as she examined their retreating figures, _'I wonder if I'll ever see them again.'_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

As the three genin journeyed north, Naruto couldn't help but think about Hinata's unexpected arrival, _'I can't believe she wanted to leave the village with me. Hell I still can't believe Sasuke did either.'_

"**I certainly did not foresee this occurrence…the Hyuuga girl seems loyal and will prove most useful at your disposal, however promise me you will stay alert around the Uchiha girl…we can't forget about her seal."**

'_Yeah, we need to do something about that in the not too distant future,' _Naruto noted.

The three genin had been traveling for the better part of a day straight. Naruto was rather surprised by Hinata's stamina. He assumed that she was going to tire much sooner than she actually did.

As the three finally stopped for the night, they set up camp in a small cave. There hadn't been much conversation in this journey so far. Naruto wasn't sure if it was from exhaustion, home-sickness, or awkwardness.

He was the first to break the long silence, "So, Hinata…I'm really surprised you chose to come with us. You said you wanted me to train you?"

The girl immediately nodded her head, "Y-yes, Naruto-kun. J-just s-s-so you know…I don't think y-you're a monster."

Her words greatly altered the atmosphere of the group as Naruto gave her a deep stare, "Thanks, Hinata…I didn't expect somebody normal like you to understand."

"Normal l-like me?" she repeated uncertainly. She began to feel her self-confidence drop at the prospect of Naruto not taking her seriously.

The blonde quickly noticed her dipping mood, "Not that I'm saying you aren't special or anything…you're just so calm and nice. Not at all what I'd expect a Hyuuga to be like. Let alone the heir to the clan. I'm surprised you don't act like that Neji guy."

Sasuke simply huffed in disapproval. She was clearly not happy about this other girl tagging along, but decided to keep it to herself much to Naruto's relief.

"**Hey kit, just so you know, Iwa will try its best to take advantage of you…when we get there, don't associate with the village leaders or any high ranking ninjas. Just ask around for Uzumaki Clan members…don't forget that our ultimate goal is to gather the survivors."**

Naruto did not bother responding to Kyuubi as he awaited Hinata's reply.

The shy, white-eyed girl frowned, "I-I've n-never been v-very confident. I-I'm not a-as talented as my cousins or my sister. N-nobody t-take me se-seriously."

"**You better break her of that stuttering habit…I will not tolerate that forever," **Kyuubi growled.

"Don't worry about it, Hinata…you're a good person. One of the few I've known. If you stick with Sasuke and me, then you're bound to get stronger and more confident," Naruto convinced.

The girl seemed to lighten up at his comment and looked away blushing madly. Sasuke let out a loud cough, "Ahem, anyways, you said you wanted to go to Iwa, Naruto? Why?"

"My clan has some survivors there. I want to gather them up," he answered.

"You want to rebuild your clan?" she asked interested. The blonde nodded.

Sasuke sighed as she glanced at the boy, "Just so you know…I have my own priorities out here too, Naruto. If I find out any news about Itachi, I'm going to have to follow up on it. With or without you…"

"Fair enough, Sasuke. It shouldn't be much of a problem for now though. We made some distance today, you girls should get some sleep, I'll take first watch," Naruto replied with a yawn.

They both curled up on their own sides of the cave around the fire. It wasn't long before both girls were fast asleep. '_I guess they were more tired than I thought,_' Naruto laughed quietly to himself.

"**I promised you more answers, so let us speak of them, kit," **Kyuubi began. Much to his surprise the fox seemed to be in a rather calm, relaxed mood. Naruto guessed it was probably because they were no longer in Konoha.

'_Okay, Kyuubi how's about you tell me more about Mito Uzumaki,_' Naruto began.

"**You should come inside for this…" **Kyuubi replied. Before long, Naruto found himself getting sucked into his own mindscape. He wasted no time darting through the maze like sewer until finally reached Kyuubi's cage.

"**It's been many years since you last stood here…you were so weak back then, do you remember?" **Kyuubi started.

Naruto nodded his head as he recalled the vivid memory, _"It seems like another lifetime ago."_

"**Come into my cage, there's someone I want you to meet," **Kyuubi continued.

Naruto gave the shadowy figure behind the massive cage a curious glance, _"They can't come out here?"_

"**No…they're tied to me and I'm sealed behind this cage,"** Kyuubi explained. Naruto nodded his head as he fearlessly walked through the massive iron bars into the darkness on the other side. It was quickly lit up when two massive, red-glowing eyes appeared in front of him.

The entire cage was soon illuminated in blood red light and Naruto's eyes went wide with disbelief when he spotted an individual standing in front of Kyuubi. She had a chain of some sort that appeared to be streaming chakra between her and the massive fox.

Naruto took in her appearance with utter disbelief, _"No way…"_

"**Kit, I want you to meet Mito Uzumaki,"** Kyuubi announced as one of his massive red tails pointed at the woman. Her eyes were blood red with slits and they seemed to have a strange malevolence about them.

"_Kyuubi, what the hell is this?! What is she doing inside of your cage?" _Naruto demanded.

The fox grinned, **"This was a rather interesting side effect courtesy of Mito's sealing abilities."**

"_So let me get this straight…Mito sealed herself into you? How exactly? Is she even aware or alive?" _Naruto asked incredulously as he glanced at the fiery-haired Kunoichi. The red head quickly eyed him up and down curiously, "So he's the one you spoke of Kyuubi? My descendant?"

The fox nodded his head, **"Yes, he is the one…I have been molding him to reclaim the clan's legacy."**

She examined Naruto interested, "So he's the one…Kushina's son. He's blonde huh? You don't look like a pure-blooded Uzumaki to me," Mito noted as she began to examine Naruto. She walked around the boy sizing him up.

Just then, Naruto heard a strange voice inside of his own head. It was weird since he was already in his own head and he wasn't sure of its source. Kyuubi and Mito didn't seem to hear it much to his surprise, _**"You have fallen victim to a terrible fate…to be a pawn in their schemes. You have no idea what they have in store for you."**_

He looked around the room curiously trying to examine the source of the voice. This did not go unnoticed by Mito, "What are you doing?"

"_Is there somebody else in here?" _Naruto asked carefully.

The red head quickly gave a kill gesture to Kyuubi signaling the fox to do something. Naruto was going to question it, but decided it was best to not say anything.

He took this time to fully take in Mito's appearance. The woman had a certain presence about her from what Naruto could surmise. Her regal attire and flawless stature clearly emphasized that she fancied herself some kind of royalty.

The woman's hair was different than Naruto remembered in the portrait. The buns were instead large flowing pigtails and her eyes were as blood red as Kyuubi's. Although that wasn't the only noticeable difference. She seemed much more feral as if she was almost a fox herself.

He quickly took notice of her fangs, and she also had similar whisker marks like him. As if she could read his mind the woman laughed, "Am I everything you thought I would be, kit?"

"_You don't look the same as your portrait…" _Naruto noted.

The woman laughed, "Hahaha, that portrait was done when I was still married."

"_So…how exactly does this work, Kyuubi? Has she been here the entire time?" _Naruto asked not really wanting to imagine all that it implied.

The fox shook his head, "Not exactly, the nature of her reverse seal keeps her inside of here. I'm her only contact to the outside world…well and I suppose you are as well now."

Something about this seemed wrong to Naruto. If Mito had been sealed in here this entire time, then what could she possibly have in store for him?

"_What plans do you guys have for me?" _Naruto questioned uncertainly.

Mito chuckled at his question, "You'll be rebuilding my clan of course. We're far too powerful to be wasted in a scattered mess. You need to gather up the rest of the survivors and rebuild Uzushio."

"_So is this how you knew so much about ninja stuff, Kyuubi?" _Naruto asked.

"**Where else do you think I learned so much about you mortals from?"**

"_That's incredibly creepy…" _Naruto noted as he examined the woman again.

She seemed amused by his thought process, "Does that make you uncomfortable?"

"_So what about the second Hokage then? How did you control him Kyuubi? You said he underestimated Mito?" _Naruto asked.

Mito answered, "It's just a side effect. It took almost all of his chakra to seal away Kyuubi into Kushina…but he didn't anticipate the little surprise I had for him, hahahahahaha!"

It didn't take long for Naruto to understand why people labeled Mito as a psychopath. The woman's very demeanor was eerie.

"_Okay well I guess that all makes sense, but I just have one more question…what's your aim in all of this Mito?" _Naruto asked.

The woman gave him a condescending look, "I would prefer it if you didn't address me so casually. I am after all your senior, kit."

"_Just answer my question, Mito-hime," _he responded. Kyuubi started to laugh at this and Mito crossed her arms annoyed, "Do not mock me, child…I was the greatest terror of my time. Queen of the eastern seas, Master of the Uzumaki Clan, and greatest of the jinchuuriki."

"_So Mito-dono then? Mito-sama? Mito-san? Mi-chan?" _Naruto replied slowly as he spoke with a hint of amusement.

She shook her head at him annoyed, "Cute…very cute. How do you deal with him, Kyuubi?"

"**Hahahaha, the kit's entertaining and not half bad to talk to. You'll get used to him, Mi-chan," **the fox laughed.

"Hey! Don't you dare start doing that too!" she demanded.

After a few moments of laughter, Kyuubi turned his massive head back towards Naruto, **"So I suggest you go through with that letter. Go search around Iwa for clan members."**

Mito nodded her head in approval, "Also, the leader Kyuubi mentioned in this letter sounds shady. That necklace you're wearing looks a lot like the ones my father used to make. Until you become more powerful, I would not recommend snooping around for this leader or his organization."

"_Who was your father?" _Naruto asked curiously.

Mito gave him a smug smile, "A warlord…his name is not one you would recognize."

"_I don't care, tell me anyways," _Naruto replied.

She leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, "You be a good boy and do what I say…and I'll reward you." Naruto shivered as her tongue licked his earlobe. He quickly pulled away and gave her a disapproving glare.

"What the hell could you possibly give me? You're stuck in here…" Naruto stated.

Mito simply shrugged, "I suppose it'll be a surprise then…"

"**At any rate kit, you've been in here for a while. If you wish to speak to Mito again, ask me and I'll bring you back to the cage. You won't be able to directly speak with her like you do with me," **Kyuubi explained.

'_Thank the heavens for that…_' Naruto thought to himself.

Without another word he returned back to his conscious body. He was surprised to see that there was already daylight outside when he opened his eyes.

'_Have I been asleep all night?_' he thought concerned.

He quickly leapt to his feet as if battle was about to start. This caught Hinata and Sasuke both by surprise who jerked in his direction.

"How long have I been out?" Naruto asked.

"Just a few hours," Sasuke answered. Naruto did not like the notion of falling asleep on his night watch but quickly got over it as he looked between the girls, "We need to move."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A long arduous week had passed as the three genin set out on their journey towards Iwa. Their endless traveling had greatly drained the three, but they were in good spirits as they traveled further northwest.

Naruto made sure for Hinata to ditch her headband along the way so that they wouldn't be recognized immediately as enemy ninja. Although he hadn't considered one fatal flaw in his logic until just now…Hinata would be easily noticeable as a Hyuuga due to her white eyes.

Nevertheless, he felt confident that he would be able to protect her in the worst case scenario that somebody would try something.

However, as they traveled Naruto felt a strange sensation. The chakra necklace he wore quickly began to glow and vibrate signaling an approaching presence. He could barely believe his eyes when two individuals stopped in front of them.

Hinata gasped fearfully and Naruto and Sasuke got into fighting stances. These newcomers were dressed in some kind of black robes that were adorned with red clouds. Sasuke shook her head in utter disbelief when she took notice of who was standing in front of them, "Itachi…"

"What?!" Naruto asked shocked as he turned back and met the older Uchiha's gaze. Itachi simply stared blankly at Naruto completely ignoring his sister, "Naruto Uzumaki…our leader wants to speak to you."

Kyuubi was on the verge of panic when he realized what was happening, **"Kit, get out of here now…you are not strong enough to face these two!"**

"So your leader sent that letter then…who the hell is your leader?!" Naruto demanded.

It didn't take long for him to quickly recognize that Itachi was the very same person who gave him the letter. The Uchiha seemed to notice his revelation, "Yes, I gave you the letter…that necklace you wear led us straight to you. Leader wants to talk to you in person."

"First of all, what the hell is this? I'm not agreeing to anything until I know what you guys want from me," Naruto explained.

Sasuke didn't say a word as she charged a chidori and tried to impale Itachi. He quickly caught her wrist and stopped her mid-charge, "Still weak I see…"

This remark only seemed to enrage her further as she tried to channel a lightning cloak. It didn't last long as Itachi grabbed her neck and stared into her eyes. Naruto looked on in horror as Sasuke's eyes seemed to go lifeless from Itachi's Sharingan staring into her.

"What the hell are you doing to her?!" he demanded.

"Kisame, get the nine-tails…" Itachi said calmly without even looking.

The shark nin eyed the blonde curiously before shifting his gaze back towards Hinata, "What about the other girl?"

"Leave her…I'm sure Iwa nin would love to get their hands on a Hyuuga from the main family," he noted.

Just then a blood red chakra cloak erupted around Naruto as his eyes turned red, "I'm not going down without a fight!"

Kisame seemed to beam with excitement as he lifted a massive weapon off of his back. Naruto eyed it uncertainly, _'What the hell is that?'_

"**Kit, you need to get out of here now! Those two are after me!" **Kyuubi shouted.

Naruto instantly dove for Hinata and slung the girl over his shoulder much to her surprise. She turned her head fearfully to watch what was happening as Naruto stared his foes down, _'How am I going to get Sasuke though? Itachi still has her.'_

"**Leave her behind! They're after us!" **Kyuubi roared again. Kisame seemed to be enjoying himself as he slowly closed in.

Itachi finally looked away from Sasuke causing the girl to collapse to the ground. She was barely conscious but managed to shout, "Run, Naruto!"

"**You heard the bitch, get out of here!" **Kyuubi ordered. Kisame wasted no time pursuing the blonde as he swung his massive weapon down. With Hinata slung over his shoulder he reluctantly took off as fast as he possibly could.

He briefly glanced back and could see Itachi and Kisame hot on his trail. **"Get rid of that necklace…they're using it to track you! We need to find somewhere to hide!" **

'Where though? And what about Sasuke? I can't just leave here like that,' He worried.

"You'll just have to meet up with her later. This leader clearly set up a trap for you here," Kyuubi answered.

Naruto ran as fast as he could for what seemed like hours before running into what could only be described as a miracle. Standing in front of him was a full Kumo patrol. They were fairly deep into Earth Country territory.

They quickly took notice of the boy and his Hyuuga passenger and all went wide-eyed. "Darui-sama, what do you make of that?" a random jounin asked. Naruto quickly took in this Darui's appearance; he was a tall, lean dark-skinned man with bleach colored hair.

Darui eyed the two of them curiously, "What are you kids doing out on the road by yourselves?"

Naruto looked unsure of what to say as more jounin began to arrive to the scene. It appeared to be an entire company of jounin judging by Naruto's estimate.

Thinking fast he spoke up confidently, "We're missing nin from Konoha…looking for somewhere to go."

The jounin all traded interested glances with each before examining Darui's reaction. The man quickly chuckled at this turn of events, "You two look like you're running from something…"

"Yeah, some guys with black robes and red clouds were after us. They attacked our friend," Naruto explained. The man nodded his head in understanding.

Hinata glanced around uncertainly. Her clan had a history with Kumo when they once tried to kidnap her. The Hyuuga felt very uneasy in this situation. Thankfully, at least Naruto was with her.

"Black robes and red clouds? Sounds like Akatsuki…you say they were after you?" Darui asked interested.

Naruto nodded his head. The man leaned in closer and examined Hinata, "Well you guys are never going to believe this…a main family Hyuuga just ran straight into our grasp."

"Don't even think about trying anything," Naruto threatened causing the man to eye him lazily.

"Relax, kid…if you guys are missing nin from Konoha, then maybe this want meant to be. How'd you like to join Kumo?" Darui asked.

Naruto and Hinata traded uncertain glances. Darui looked behind them and shrugged, "Or we could just leave you here for Akatsuki to collect…"

"**Akatsuki…so that's what they're called. Those two could do some serious damage to this little crowd. I say you keep on moving," **Kyuubi suggested.

'_This seems like a good idea…think about it Kyuubi. That letter was sent by their leader. They're going to expect me to be looking for Uzumaki members. I should just lay low for a while until we think of something better to do,' _the jinchuuriki explained. Kyuubi sighed with reluctant approval, **"Very well, kit…though Mito is not going to like this."**

'_She doesn't have to know…what's the deal with you two anyways? I mean is there really any point in reporting to her?_' Naruto asked. The whole concept was something that greatly confused him the moment he met Mito Uzumaki.

"What do you think, Hinata?" Naruto asked as he glanced at the fearful Hyuuga girl.

She looked at him and spoke softly, "W-whatever N-naruto-kun decides to do is f-fine with me."

Darui quickly took notice of the girl's blush and smiled before glancing at Naruto, "So kid, what'll it be?"

"I accept your offer," Naruto answered. The man nodded his head in approval as he let out a sharp whistle, "C'mon men, we're going home."

"Hey, wait! What about our friend?" Naruto asked thinking of Sasuke.

The man let out a heavy over-exaggerated sigh, "If Akatsuki got her…then she's already dead."

Naruto's eyes widened with shock, 'No…she can't be. I was standing right there!'

Darui quickly took notice of the blonde's dampening mood and tried to cheer him up, "Maybe not…but we were just on our way out of here. I can order a recon sweep for your friend when we get back."

The jinchuurki visibly frowned, "I shouldn't have left her behind like that…"

"N-Naruto-kun, it w-wasn't your fault…" was all Hinata managed to say as she timidly avoided eye contact with everyone.

"C'mon kids, let's get out of here. Maybe your friend can join us later too if we find her," Darui stated calmly. His suggestion slightly lifted Naruto's morale, but the blonde still felt extremely guilty for not being able to save Sasuke from Itachi.

As the party of Kumo nin departed with Naruto and Hinata, two figures stood silently watching in the shadows.

"I did not expect this…" Itachi sighed as he glanced over at Kisame stoically.

"Tell me why we can't kill them all again?" Kisame complained.

Itachi sent the swordsman a sharp glare, "Kumo is our biggest enemy…they would draw a lot of unwanted attention towards Akatsuki if we attacked one of their jounin regiments.

"So now what?" Kisame asked annoyed.

Itachi shrugged, "It seems we'll have to wait for now. I don't know how leader will react to this."

"What about the other girl?" Kisame asked curiously.

"Sasuke will do what she's always done…survive," Itachi said calmly as the two began to walk away.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The raven haired Sasuke awoke to find herself in a strange place. She looked around hazily trying to recollect her thoughts. "Ugh…where am I?"

"Ah, Sasuke-hime, good to see you're finally awake…" a sinister voice hissed. The girl's eyes shot open in complete fear as she looked around in horror, "Where's Naruto? Where am I?"

"You're in Kusagakure…and Naruto is no longer within your reach," the voice hissed sadistically.

His cruel malicious tone caused her to shiver as his ghostly pale face came into view. It was none other than Orochimaru, the man that bit her in the Forest of Death. For some reason this memory caused her great distress and fear as she took in his appearance.

"What happened to Itachi? How long have I been out?" she continued to question.

"Shhhh…you are still so weak in comparison to Itachi are you not? Poor poor, girl. Perhaps I can offer you more power to kill him," Orochimaru said darkly.

Before Sasuke knew what was happening, her cursed seal activated. "Of course that wasn't really a request anyways Hahahaha!"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Close to a week had passed, before Naruto and Hinata were finally at Kumo. Lightning Country in general had a great aesthetic beauty, and Naruto couldn't help but admire the village as he approached. Darui quickly took notice of his demeanor, "Ah yeah I forget you kids have never seen a real ninja village before."

Despite all the terrible things they had ever heard about Kumogakure and Kumo nin in general, Naruto couldn't help but admire the decency of several of them. Darui seemed like a laid back guy and Naruto hoped that the rest of the villagers would be as cool as him.

Part of him almost couldn't believe that he was joining another ninja village. It seemed strange that after all this time he spent getting away from society, that he chose to join another one. He wasn't really sure how long he intended to stay in Kumo, but he figured it would be the best course of action for now.

Hinata hadn't spoken much to the foreign ninjas, but she seemed slightly fearful due to her previous experiences as a child.

Naruto made sure to reassure her as often as possible and promised to train her once the two of them got settled in. As they approached the gate, they walked inside and met with the beautiful sight of Kumogakure. The high elevation was still something to get used to, but Naruto was really starting to enjoy it. He couldn't wait to start training up here.

As Darui led them down the street towards the Raikage's mountain tower, many on-looking villagers began to gasp and point at the sight of Naruto and Hinata. The Hyuuga girl in particular was drawing a lot of attention which caused her to lower her head uncomfortably.

Thankfully, Darui waved the crowds off as he led the two genin inside the Raikage tower. Naruto and Hinata traded uncertain glances as a blonde haired young man with dark eyes spoke up, "Oh who are these people Darui?"

"Sup, C…I found these kids over in Earth Country running from Akatsuki. Apparently they're Konoha missing nin," the jounin stated.

C looked surprised by this news, "You two look awfully young to be missing nins…hey that girl is a Hyuuga?!"

Darui nodded his head, "Yeah we were kind of surprised too…but get this, they want to join Kumo. How do you think boss would take this?"

As if being summoned a burly, muscular man came walking down the stairs and eyed Darui up and down, "Take what? Who are these kids?"

His stern, rigid tone greatly intimidated Hinata. Even Naruto felt a certain uneasiness around this colossal man.

The Raikage's eyes widened when he looked at Naruto, "Wait, I know this one…I've seen your likeness all over the place. You're that Konoha super genin. Am I right boy?"

Naruto slowly nodded his head not really sure how to react. Darui eyed the Raikage curiously, "Super genin? What are you talking about boss?"

The Raikage glanced between Naruto and Hinata skeptically, "So tell me kids…why are you in my village?"

"Darui said that we could become Kumo nin," Naruto answered.

The burly man crossed his arms before shooting a disapproving look towards Darui, "Why did you go promising that to kids? Do you have any idea who this boy is?"

"Umm…no, sorry," Darui apologized.

Thinking fast, Naruto cut in, "I'm part of the Uzumaki Clan. Konoha destroyed my clan and has been lying to me ever since."

The Raikage examined Naruto's whisker marks and chuckled, "I'll just bet they have…tell me kid, what possible benefit would you be to my village?"

Much to everybody's complete and utter shock, Naruto flashed through several hand seals, "Mokuton: Daijurin no Jutsu!" (Wood Release: Great Forest Technique) His arm transformed into a giant tree like branch which quickly smashed through a nearby wall.

The Raikage's eyes went wide with disbelief as Naruto turned to face the opening, "Yoton: Yokai no Jutsu!" (Lava Release: Melting Apparition Technique) A surge of lava launched from his mouth out the smashed wall and blanketed the landscape on the other side.

A simply looked astounded by this display and didn't say a word. C on the other hand shook his head frantically, "What did you just do to the wall?"

"So, I guess we're keeping him then?" Darui chuckled as he glanced over at the Raikage. The man simply nodded his head, "Welcome to Kumogakure, Naruto Uzumaki. You and your Hyuuga friend will be assigned a squad as soon as I finish the paperwork."

C looked dumbfounded, "I can't believe he didn't lose his mind over that…"

"Well then it's official…welcome to Kumo. Here are your headbands," Darui said as he handed Hinata and Naruto their new forehead protectors.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Yeah, Happy New Year readers! In honor of all my loyal, loving, and faithful fans I present to you chapter 11. How did you like it? Some serious shit went down didn't it? I spent my entire day off writing this for you guys Love me for it. Haha jk, but I hoped you enjoyed it.

I'm sure a lot of you were probably super surprised when Hinata jumped into a main character role this chapter. I know she didn't have as much dialogue during their journey…but that will change the more she opens up. Was it out of character? Yeah probably. Do I care? Not really.

Ah, poor Sasu-chan got captured by Orochimaru? But how was he out there? Unless he was tipped off?!

Kumo was a rather unexpected twist wasn't it? You were all thinking Iwa, but then Bam! Akatsuki shows up. I'm sure it may seem strange, but these things end up making more sense several chapters later.

Well alas, I hope that it lived up to your expectations. Thanks again for reading!


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